Abstract
To improve cotton yield and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, we synthesized a novel compound microbial agent with cotton growth-promoting activity. Pot experiments demonstrated that application of this agent significantly promoted cotton seedling growth: chlorophyll content increased by 6.6%, root activity was enhanced by 87.69%, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased by 44.36%. Furthermore, the agent treatment significantly enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities in cotton seedlings, with catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increasing by 136.56%, 125.00%, and 45.73%, respectively. Field plot trials showed that the agent increased cotton yield by 20.00%–24.34% and improved fiber quality, with the spinning consistency index, breaking fiber strength, and elongation increased by 7.35%, 7.48%, and 3.06%, respectively. Further analyses of nutrient contents in cotton leaves, rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, amplicon sequencing, and untargeted metabolomics revealed that, compared with the control group: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contents in cotton leaves increased by 33.27%, 68.24%, and 37.76%, respectively; rhizosphere soil pH decreased by 2.78%, while available phosphorus (AP), organic matter (OM), and total phosphorus (TP) increased by 33.43%, 17.40%, and 73.26%, respectively; bacterial community Chao1 index decreased by 7.93%, whereas the Shannon index increased by 0.29%; fungal community Chao1 and Shannon indices increased by 17.54% and 1.07%, respectively. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Iamia , Polycyclovorans , Arenimonas , and Verticillium increased by 43.48%, 10.51%, 31.27%, and 67.58%, respectively, whereas those of Bacillus and Fusarium decreased by 35.37% and 21.00%, respectively. Moreover, the secondary metabolite composition in rhizosphere soil was altered: terpenoid and nitrogen-containing compound contents increased, while phenol content decreased, with significant accumulation of tryptamine, L-tryptophan, and serotonin. This study confirms that the novel compound microbial agent enhances cotton yield and fiber quality via synergistic mechanisms, providing effective technical support for the development of green cotton production.
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Claims 19
Claim · model-written summary
The agent increased cotton seedling chlorophyll content by 6.6% in pot experiments.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutumt0 - Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 6.6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“chlorophyll content increased by 6.6%”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent enhanced cotton seedling root activity by 87.69% in pot experiments.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- root activitye0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 87.69%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“root activity was enhanced by 87.69%”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content of cotton seedlings by 44.36%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- malondialdehyde (MDA) contente0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 44.36%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased by 44.36%”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent treatment increased catalase (CAT) activity in cotton seedlings by 136.56%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- the agent treatmente0
- Outcome
- catalase (CAT)e0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 136.56%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the agent treatment significantly enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities in cotton seedlings, with catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increasing by 136.56%, 125.00%, and 45.73%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent treatment increased peroxidase (POD) activity in cotton seedlings by 125.00%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- the agent treatmente0
- Outcome
- peroxidase (POD)e0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 125.00%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the agent treatment significantly enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities in cotton seedlings, with catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increasing by 136.56%, 125.00%, and 45.73%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent treatment increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in cotton seedlings by 45.73%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- the agent treatmente0
- Outcome
- superoxide dismutase (SOD)e0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 45.73%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the agent treatment significantly enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities in cotton seedlings, with catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities increasing by 136.56%, 125.00%, and 45.73%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In field plot trials the agent increased cotton yield by 20.00%-24.34%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- the agente0
- Outcome
- cotton yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 20.00%–24.34%e0
- Setting
- Field plot trialse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Field plot trials showed that the agent increased cotton yield by 20.00%–24.34%”
Claim · model-written summary
The agent improved cotton fiber quality in field plots: spinning consistency index, breaking fiber strength and elongation increased by 7.35%, 7.48% and 3.06%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- the agente0
- Outcome
- spinning consistency index, breaking fiber strength, and elongatione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 7.35%, 7.48%, and 3.06%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the agent increased cotton yield by 20.00%–24.34% and improved fiber quality, with the spinning consistency index, breaking fiber strength, and elongation increased by 7.35%, 7.48%, and 3.06%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents in cotton leaves increased by 33.27%, 68.24% and 37.76%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Organ / stage
- cotton leavese0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contentse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 33.27%, 68.24%, and 37.76%e0
- Comparator
- the control groupe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“compared with the control group: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contents in cotton leaves increased by 33.27%, 68.24%, and 37.76%, respectively”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, cotton rhizosphere soil pH decreased by 2.78%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- rhizosphere soil pHe0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 2.78%e0
- Comparator
- the control groupe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rhizosphere soil pH decreased by 2.78%”
e1“compared with the control group”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, rhizosphere soil available phosphorus, organic matter and total phosphorus increased by 33.43%, 17.40% and 73.26%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- available phosphorus (AP), organic matter (OM), and total phosphorus (TP)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 33.43%, 17.40%, and 73.26%e0
- Comparator
- the control groupe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“available phosphorus (AP), organic matter (OM), and total phosphorus (TP) increased by 33.43%, 17.40%, and 73.26%, respectively”
e1“compared with the control group”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, the bacterial community Chao1 index decreased by 7.93%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- bacterial community Chao1 indexe0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 7.93%e0
- Comparator
- the control groupe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“bacterial community Chao1 index decreased by 7.93%”
e1“compared with the control group”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, the bacterial community Shannon index increased by 0.29%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- Shannon indexe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 0.29%e0
- Qualifier
- bacterial communitye0
- Comparator
- the control groupe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“bacterial community Chao1 index decreased by 7.93%, whereas the Shannon index increased by 0.29%”
e1“compared with the control group”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Compared with the control group, fungal community Chao1 and Shannon indices increased by 17.54% and 1.07%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- fungal community Chao1 and Shannon indicese0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 17.54% and 1.07%e0
- Comparator
- the control groupe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fungal community Chao1 and Shannon indices increased by 17.54% and 1.07%, respectively”
e1“compared with the control group”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
At the genus level the relative abundances of Iamia, Polycyclovorans, Arenimonas and Verticillium increased by 43.48%, 10.51%, 31.27% and 67.58%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- relative abundances of Iamia , Polycyclovorans , Arenimonas , and Verticilliume0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 43.48%, 10.51%, 31.27%, and 67.58%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the relative abundances of Iamia , Polycyclovorans , Arenimonas , and Verticillium increased by 43.48%, 10.51%, 31.27%, and 67.58%, respectively”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
The relative abundances of Bacillus and Fusarium decreased by 35.37% and 21.00%, respectively.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- those of Bacillus and Fusariume0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 35.37% and 21.00%e0
FusariumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“whereas those of Bacillus and Fusarium decreased by 35.37% and 21.00%, respectively”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Terpenoid and nitrogen-containing compound contents in cotton rhizosphere soil increased.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- terpenoid and nitrogen-containing compound contentse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the secondary metabolite composition in rhizosphere soil was altered: terpenoid and nitrogen-containing compound contents increased”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Phenol content in cotton rhizosphere soil decreased.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- phenol contente0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“terpenoid and nitrogen-containing compound contents increased, while phenol content decreased”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”
Claim · model-written summary
Tryptamine, L-tryptophan and serotonin accumulated significantly in the rhizosphere soil.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Bacillus compound agentt1
- Outcome
- accumulation of tryptamine, L-tryptophan, and serotonine0
- Direction
- accumulatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with significant accumulation of tryptamine, L-tryptophan, and serotonin”
t0“cotton”
t1“Bacillus compound agent”