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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419900
Research Project: Transdisciplinary Research that Improves the Productivity and Sustainability of Northern Great Plains Agroecosystems and the Well-Being of the Communities They Serve

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Title: Assessing agroecosystem resilience in annual cropping systems with ecometabolomics

Author
item Clemensen, Andrea
item UTHE, HENRIETTE - Leibniz Institute
item Sun, Jianghao
item Duke, Sara
item Liebig, Mark
item Whippo, Craig
item Archer, David

Submitted to: Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2025
Publication Date: 3/27/2025
Citation: Clemensen, A.K., Uthe, H., Sun, J., Duke, S.E., Liebig, M.A., Whippo, C.W., Archer, D.W. 2025. Assessing agroecosystem resilience in annual cropping systems with ecometabolomics. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment. 8(2). Article e70092. https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.70092.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.70092

Interpretive Summary: Plants respond to and communicate with their environment by producing and secreting plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Plant secondary metabolites allow plants to cope with and adapt to stresses. Many environmental factors can influence the production of PSMs. However, how agricultural management affects PSMs is poorly understood. Therefore, as part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network, we measured corn responses to different agricultural management systems. We compared the response in corn leaf and root tissue when it grew in a system with cover crops or without cover crops. The agricultural system that utilized cover crops showed that corn had more PSMs than the agricultural system without cover crops. This research shows that how we manage our agricultural systems impacts the way plants respond. Increased production of PSMs allows plants to better adapt to environmental stresses. This research is important to producers because managing plants, so they are better adapted to environmental stress creates systems that are more resilient. This may reduce the need for external inputs.

Technical Abstract: Plant ecometabolomics is a growing field of study which allows broader understanding of the metabolomic dynamics within and between plants and their ecosystem. Plants constantly respond to environmental cues, producing plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) to communicate with and adapt to their everchanging ecosystems. Plant secondary metabolites allow plants to withstand biotic and abiotic stressors and are mediators of interactions between their above and belowground ecosystem. However, how PSMs are affected by and respond to agricultural management is poorly understood. As part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network, we assessed ecometabolomic profiles of corn (Zea mays L.) leaves and roots between contrasting prevailing (prevailing practice, PP) and alternative (alternative practice, AP) cropping practices which utilized integrated cropping and cover crops. The ecometabolomic profiles of corn leaves and roots were 90% and 71%, respectively, richer in PSMs in the AP than PP treatments. This research shows that our agricultural management practices influence the way plants respond within their agroecosystem. Increased production of PSMs allows plants to better adapt to various abiotic and biotic stresses, enhancing the resilience of plants within their ecosystem.