Abstract:

Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe is a plant resource with food and medicinal value, as well as health-promoting functions. This study aims to investigate the metabolic product differences in flower buds among various Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe varieties in the Wenshan Region. In this study, flower buds from two independently selected varieties (‘Wenhe1’, ‘Wenhe2’) and one locally preserved variety of Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe were used as experimental materials. An extensive targeted metabolomics analysis utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was conducted to investigate the differences in metabolites and metabolic pathways among the flower buds of Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe varieties. The findings indicated that ‘Wenhe2’ had the highest vitamin C content, whereas the landrace variety possessed the highest crude fiber content. In total, 758 metabolites were identified in Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe buds, including 145 amino acids and derivatives, and 110 flavonoids. Among these metabolites, 94 were differentially expressed between ‘Wenhe1’and ‘Wenhe 2’, 65 between ‘Wenhe1’ and the control group, and 87 between‘Wenhe2’ and the control group. These variations predominantly occurred in amino acids and their derivatives, as well as sugars and their derivatives. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis revealed that both tested varieties exhibited significant upregulation in pathways related to amino acid synthesis and sinigrin synthesis compared to the control group. Additionally, in the comparison between ‘Wenhe1’ and ‘Wenhe2’, the metabolic pathways significantly upregulated in ‘Wenhe1’ included the pentose phosphate pathway and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, which were strongly associated with photosynthesis. Under identical conditions, significant differences were observed in the metabolite profiles of ‘Wenhe1’ and ‘Wenhe2’ compared to local varieties, especially in metabolites of practical significance, including those involved in amino acid synthesis and glucosinolate synthesis. These results offer valuable insights for the functional breeding of Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe and the exploration and utilization of effective metabolomic resources.

Key words: Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Roscoe, flower bud, Wenshan, metabolomic differences, metabolic pathway differences, vitamin C, cellulose, germplasm resources