Plant Reproductive Suppression Triggers Fatty Acid-Mediated Recruitment of Mortierella for Enhanced Stress Resilience

This study investigates the trade-offs between growth and reproduction in Panax notoginseng, focusing on its relationship with rhizosphere microorganisms. Our results show that inhibiting reproductive growth significantly increases biomass, particularly in underground tissues. This inhibition activates metabolic pathways for fatty acid synthesis, reallocating fatty acid metabolites from aboveground to belowground tissues and enhancing the secretion of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and stearic acids into the rhizosphere. These fatty acids promote the growth of the beneficial microorganism Mortierella, supporting both plant health and progeny development.