Rhizospheric Bacterial Distribution Influencing the Accumulation of Isoflavones, Phenolics, Flavonoids, and Antioxidant Activity in Soybean Roots Within Hydroponic System

Abstract

This study investigates how root color in soybeans affects isoflavone composition, rhizosphere bacterial diversity, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity under a hydroponic cultivation system. Notably, soybean-brown roots (SBRs) accumulated significantly higher contents of isoflavones, exhibiting approximately a 14.9-fold increase in total glycosides (141.75 to 2121.59 mu g/g), 7.3-fold increase in total malonyl-beta-glycosides (127.52 to 930.45 mu g/g), 2.8-fold increase in total aglycones (1825.90 to 5145.21 mu g/g), and 3.9-fold increase in total isoflavones (2095.16 to 8197.26 mu g/g) than soybean-white roots (SWRs). Isolated rhizosphere bacteria profiling revealed gamma-Proteobacteria as the predominant class in both root types, constituting 77.6% and 73.9% of the bacterial community in SWRs and SBRs, respectively. However, SBRs supported a more diverse bacterial ecosystem, harboring thirteen genera compared to only eight genera in SWRs. Enhanced total phenolics, total flavonoids, and radical scavenging activity were also associated with the SBRs. These findings shed light on the dynamic interplay between root traits, bacterial interactions, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis in hydroponically grown soybeans. This work not only advances our understanding of plant root-microbiome-metabolite relationships but also offers a novel approach to exploring the potential of enhancing secondary metabolites in soybean plants through precision cultivation.