Plant volatiles serve as airborne semiochemicals, bridging the interactions between the plant and environment. Intercropping of a Chinese medicinal herb, Atractylodes lancea, with peanut plants greatly improves peanut growth, leading to a reduction of soil-borne disease. The underlying mechanism of peanut responding to the intercropped A. lancea is unknown. We here explored the response of the above- and belowground peanut parts to volatiles produced by the aboveground parts of A. lancea. Closed cultivation system was used. Composition of volatiles released by A. lancea plant was first determined using headspace solid phase microextraction–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). Then, physiological responses of peanut were explored via enzymes activity assay and root secretions. Changes in the peanut rhizosphere fungal and bacterial communities were analyzed by Illumina sequencing. The intercropped A. lancea volatiles induced a physiological response in peanut, which includes the increased catalase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity in peanut leaf, and improvement of peanut growth. Secretion of organic acids by the peanut root was increased in response to volatile treatment. Pyrosequencing of the whole internal transcribed spacer and 16S rRNA amplicons revealed significant differences in microbial diversity and composition in peanut rhizosphere upon volatile treatment. In the intercropping, A. lancea volatiles play a key role in influencing the growth of a neighbouring peanut plant, e.g., increasing biomass and affecting root colonization by soil microorganisms, which may increase plant protection against pathogens. Intercropping patterns could be designed accordingly to increase crop performance.

中文翻译：

---

白术挥发物在间作期间诱导相邻花生植株的生理反应

植物挥发物作为空气传播的信息素化学物质，架起了植物与环境之间的相互作用。中草药白术与花生植株间作极大地促进了花生的生长，从而减少了土传病害。花生响应间作 A. lancea 的潜在机制尚不清楚。我们在这里探索了地上和地下花生部分对 A. lancea 地上部分产生的挥发物的响应。使用封闭培养系统。A. lancea 植物释放的挥发物成分首先使用顶空固相微萃取-气相色谱/质谱 (SPME-GC-MS) 测定。然后，通过酶活性测定和根分泌物探索花生的生理反应。通过Illumina测序分析花生根际真菌和细菌群落的变化。间作A.lancea挥发物在花生中引起生理反应，包括增加花生叶片中过氧化氢酶和苯丙氨酸解氨酶的活性，促进花生生长。花生根部有机酸的分泌随着挥发性处理而增加。整个内部转录间隔区和 16S rRNA 扩增子的焦磷酸测序揭示了在挥发性处理后花生根际微生物多样性和组成的显着差异。在间作过程中，A. lancea 挥发物在影响相邻花生植株的生长方面起着关键作用，例如增加生物量和影响土壤微生物的根系定植，这可能会增加植物对病原体的保护。