Multisite evaluation of phenotypic plasticity for specialized metabolites, some involved in carrot quality and disease resistance

PLoS One. 2021 Apr 2;16(4):e0249613. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249613. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Renewed consumer demand motivates the nutritional and sensory quality improvement of fruits and vegetables. Specialized metabolites being largely involved in nutritional and sensory quality of carrot, a better knowledge of their phenotypic variability is required. A metabolomic approach was used to evaluate phenotypic plasticity level of carrot commercial varieties, over three years and a wide range of cropping environments spread over several geographical areas in France. Seven groups of metabolites have been quantified by HPLC or GC methods: sugars, carotenoids, terpenes, phenolic compounds, phenylpropanoids and polyacetylenes. A large variation in root metabolic profiles was observed, in relation with environment, variety and variety by environment interaction effects in decreasing order of importance. Our results show a clear diversity structuration based on metabolite content. Polyacetylenes, β-pinene and α-carotene were identified mostly as relatively stable varietal markers, exhibiting static stability. Nevertheless, environment effect was substantial for a large part of carrot metabolic profile and various levels of phenotypic plasticity were observed depending on metabolites and varieties. A strong difference of environmental sensitivity between varieties was observed for several compounds, particularly myristicin, 6MM and D-germacrene, known to be involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stress. This work provides useful information about plasticity in the perspective of carrot breeding and production. A balance between constitutive content and environmental sensitivity for key metabolites should be reached for quality improvement in carrot and other vegetables.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Carotenoids / analysis*
  • Daucus carota / growth & development
  • Daucus carota / immunology
  • Daucus carota / metabolism*
  • Disease Resistance / immunology*
  • Metabolome*

Substances

  • Carotenoids
  • alpha-carotene

Grants and funding

This work was carried out within the framework of a PhD thesis (WC), funded by the Ministry of higher education and research and by the regional programme “Objectif Végétal, Research, Education and Innovation in Pays de la Loire”, supported by the French Region Pays de la Loire, Angers Loire Métropole and the European Regional Development Fund (Grant Gesiiqua awarded to WC for PhD salary and research activities). This research was also supported by a grant from the ministry of agriculture (Casdar-CTPS AAP grant C2015-10 Caroqual, awarded to EG for research activities). Commercial affiliations provided support in the form of salaries for authors LB, GF, MU, FC, and the management of some trials (LB, FC) or polyphenols quantification (GF, MU). The commercial affiliations did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.