ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiomes
Sec. Nutrition, Metabolism and the Microbiome
Volume 4 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frmbi.2025.1659904
Multi-omics reveals novel forage advantages of Potentilla anserina linnaeus in high-salt habitats
Provisionally accepted
Zhijia Cui1Xiaoling Zhang1Ziyang Lv1Shangkun Yang1Miaomiao Zhang1Hanghang Hou1Jing Li2Yuhao Yuan3*Junqiao Li4*
Baili Feng1*- 1Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
- 2Yan'an University, Yan'an, China
- 3Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- 4Qinghai Nationalities University, Xining, China
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Potentilla anserina Linnaeus (P. anserina) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with ethnic characteristics that grows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It has the potential to be used as a novel feed for ruminants. However, the large area of saline-alkaline soils makes it difficult to rationally use Portulaca oleracea as a feed. This study used GC-MS, LC-MS, and high-throughput sequencing to examine volatile/non-volatile metabolites and microbial communities in P. anserina stems and leaves under fresh grass, hay, and silage treatments in high-salt environments. Results showed saline-alkali soil significantly increased crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, and crude fat, with the most notable improvement in silage. Among identified metabolites, 2 volatile and 18 non-volatile ones differed between normal and saline-alkali soils, with key ones including phenol (2-(1-methylpropyl)), 1-nonanone, and 3-O-methylgalangin. Microbial analysis revealed reduced Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum and increased Arthrobacter (disappeared in silage, replaced by SC-I-84) in bacteria; in fungi, Podosphaera decreased while Cladosporium increased, with Pleotrichocladium rising in silage. Saline-alkali soil mainly affected flavonoid accumulation, and silage significantly improved P. anserina community and forage quality. Microbe-metabolite interactions showed bacteria promote aroma and fermentation, fungi relate to antioxidant/defence metabolites and stability, reflecting a complex network and microbial ecological coordination under high salt stress. This study supports P. anserina use in sustainable animal production.
Keywords: Potentilla anserina linnaeus, volatile metabolites, non-volatile metabolites, Bacteria, fungus
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cui, Zhang, Lv, Yang, Zhang, Hou, Li, Yuan, Li and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yuhao Yuan, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
Junqiao Li, Qinghai Nationalities University, Xining, China
Baili Feng, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
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