Agricultural Metabolomics for Sustainable Production in the Climate Change Era

Agriculture is vital for food production, but it remains a crucial target for climate change mitigation. The soil, plant, and animal systems, key components of the larger agroecosystem, have become potential pursuits both individually and as a continuum for the overarching objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions driven by agriculture. Metabolomics, the large-scale profiling of metabolites in a given biological system, enables a better understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of these components and consequently facilitates the discovery of novel mechanisms that control key signaling processes. Metabolite markers can also assist in the rapid diagnostics of mitigation-related traits. While previous studies have reported roles for lipids in root signaling between legumes and Rhizobia in soil for nitrogen fixation, terpenoid lactones in nitrate leaching in the soil through microbial interactions, secondary metabolites in modifying shoot: root ratio and thereby carbon assimilation in the roots, and several metabolite classes such as sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids in regulating methane production in ruminants, novel mechanisms remain unexplored. With current advances in metabolomics workflows, impending novel insights can be explored, expediting knowledge-driven mitigation strategies.

This research topic aims to collate studies on the use of metabolomics to decipher and explore biochemical mechanisms in the agroecosystem towards climate-smart agriculture. A holistic understanding of biochemical mechanisms and intra- and inter-kingdom signaling is required to decipher the components of an agroecosystem, towards devising appropriate mitigation strategies. Global metabolomics/discovery approaches are at the crux of this understanding, leading to hypotheses-driven/targeted interrogation. The main objectives include elucidating the biochemical pathways that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and identifying potential mitigation strategies through metabolomics.

To gather further insights into the biochemical mechanisms within agroecosystems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Soil metabolomics and soil-microbe-plant interactions pertaining to root exudates, chemical legacy/allelopathic effects in succession and mixed planting regimes, nitrogen fixation, biological nitrification inhibition, carbon assimilation in soil, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in intra-kingdom crosstalk, and similar soil-related mechanisms.
• Screening and breeding of plant species and germplasm to elucidate biochemical mechanisms that promote better nitrogen use efficiency, reduce methane production in ruminants, and enhance palatability and digestion in animals.
• Changes in animal metabolism (specifically rumen) driven by different breeds and feeds. These feeds include additives, bio-actives, and concentrates aimed at lowering methane production and nitrous oxide emissions; as well as the application of biomarkers to diagnose these metabolic changes for rapid on-farm animal screening.