Mechanism of Rice Husk Wood Vinegar in Promoting Strawberry Growth Based on Metagenomic and Transcriptomic Data Analysis

Purpose To clarify the molecular mechanism of wood vinegar regulating strawberry growth.

Methods Using the strawberry variety ‘Yuexin’ as the material, a foliar spray treatment group with rice husk wood vinegar was set, with a water spray as the control group. By integrating phenotypic analysis, soil physicochemical property detection, and sequencing results of whole-plant transcriptome and rhizosphere metagenomic, the regulatory network of wood vinegar promoting strawberry growth was systematically elucidated.

Results Compared with the control group, the strawberry leaf length and width in the wood vinegar treatment group increased by 15.38% and 7.86%, respectively, and the number of capillary roots significantly increased, showing a significant promoting effect on growth. Whole-plant transcriptome analysis identified 7809 differentially expressed genes. Up-regulated genes in wood vinegar-treated plants were primarily involved in pathways such as phenylpropanoid metabolism, flavonoid synthesis, hormone signalling and photosynthesis. These genes collectively drove the rapid growth of both the above-ground and root systems by activating hormone signalling pathways, enhancing the capacity for carbon assimilation, and promoting lignin synthesis. Metagenomic analysis revealed that wood vinegar selectively enriched beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms, increasing the relative abundance of Bradyrhizobium and Sphingomonas by more than 10%, while significantly reducing the relative abundance of Pseudomonas. Wood vinegar also significantly enhanced the activity of key functional pathways such as carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism, constructing an efficient rhizosphere carbon conversion system and accelerating the growth of strawberry.

Conclusion The study reveals the synergistic mechanism of wood vinegar in regulating endogenous hormone synthesis, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, and reshaping beneficial microbial community structure in the rhizosphere, providing theoretical reference and practical guidance for the development of green strawberry cultivation technology.