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Research has shown that the quality of tea depends not only on the variety of the tea plant, but also on the microorganisms present in its roots. Modifying these microbial communities has been shown to significantly improve tea quality by increasing amino acid content, opening new agronomic improvements that could extend beyond tea to other crops. A path is suggested.
You might think that the complex flavor of high-quality tea is determined primarily by the variety of tea used to make it. However, a recent study published in the journal current biology It shows that making delicious tea depends on another important factor: the collection of microorganisms found in the tea roots. The authors showed that by changing the combination, high-quality tea can be made even more delicious.
“Significant differences in microbial communities, especially those related to nitrogen metabolism, were confirmed by microbiomics in the roots of tea plants with different qualities,” said Tongda Xu from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fujian Province, China. “Importantly, by isolating and assembling a synthetic microbial community from the roots of high-quality tea plants, we succeeded in significantly enriching the amino groups,” she said. acid It contains ingredients found in different tea varieties, resulting in improved tea quality. ”
This photo is of Chashan in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China.Credit: Wei Xin
Challenges of tea cultivation and microbial solutions
China has abundant genetic resources for cultivating tea plants. However, researchers explain that it is difficult to improve tea quality using molecular genetic breeding methods. There is interest in finding other ways to modify and fortify tea, perhaps through the use of microbial agents. Previous research has shown that soil microbes living in plant roots influence how nutrients are taken up and utilized within the plant. In the new study, researchers wanted to learn more about how microorganisms, particularly in the roots, affect tea quality.
Researchers have discovered that microorganisms in tea roots influence ammonia uptake, which in turn affects the production of theanine, which is key to determining tea taste. They also observed differences in the microorganisms that colonized the various teas. By comparing tea varieties with different theanine content, they identified a set of microorganisms that appear promising for altering nitrogen metabolism and increasing theanine levels.
They then built a synthetic microbial community called SynCom that closely replicated that found associated with a high-theanine tea variety called Rougui. When SynCom was applied to tea roots, it was found to increase theanine levels.Also tolerates microorganisms Arabidopsisa plant commonly used in basic biological research to improve tolerance to low nitrogen conditions.
Widespread impact on agriculture
“The original hope for synthetic microbial communities obtained from the roots of high-quality tea plants was to enhance the quality of low-quality tea plants,” says study co-author Wenxin Tang. “However, to our surprise, we found that the synthetic microbial community not only improves the quality of low-quality tea plants, but also has a significant promoting effect on certain high-quality tea varieties. This is especially true in low-nitrogen soil conditions.”
This photo is of Chashan in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China.Credit: Wei Xin
The findings suggest that synthetically generated microbial communities can improve tea, especially when grown in nitrogen-deficient soil conditions, the researchers said. Tea trees require large amounts of nitrogen, so this discovery could help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers while improving tea tree quality. This discovery could have important implications for a wider range of agricultural crops.
“Based on our current experimental results, inclusion of the SynCom21 microbial community not only improved ammonia nitrogen uptake in different tea varieties, but also enhanced ammonia nitrogen uptake in tea leaves. ” Arabidopsis” says Xu. “This suggests that SynCom21’s ability to promote ammonia nitrogen uptake may be applicable to a variety of plants, including other crops.”
For example, it may be possible to grow rice with improved quality, including increased protein content, they say. They now plan to further optimize SynCom and evaluate its use in field trials. They also want to learn more about how root microbes affect other secondary metabolites in the tea tree.
Reference: “Tea root microbiota regulates nitrogen homeostasis and theanine synthesis to affect tea quality” Wei Xin, Jianming Zhang, Yongdong Yu, Yunhe Tian, Hao Li, Xiaolu Chen, Wei Li, Written by Yanlin Liu, Ting Lu, Biyun He, Yan Xiong, Zhenbiao Yang, Tongda Xu, Wenxin Tang, February 15, 2024. current biology.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.044
This research was supported by Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University.
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