Soil volatilomics uncovers tight linkage between soybean presence and soil omics profiles in agricultural fields

Abstract

Securing a stable food supply and achieving sustainable agricultural production are essential for mitigating future food insecurity. Soil metabolomics is a promising tool for capturing soil status, which is a critical issue for future sustainable food security. This study aims to provide deeper insights into the status of soybean-grown fields under varying soil conditions over three years by employing comprehensive soil volatile organic compound (VOC) profiling, also known as soil volatilomics. Profiling identified approximately 200 peaks in agricultural fields. The soil of soybean-presented plots exhibited markedly higher VOC levels than those of non-soybean plots during the flowering season. Pentanoic acid, 2,2,4-trimethyl-3-carboxyisopropyl, isobutyl ester, a discriminative soil VOC, was identified through multivariate data analysis as a distinctively present VOC in fields with or without soybean plants during the flowering period. Soil VOC profiles exhibited strong correlations with soil-related omics datasets (soil ionome, microbiome, metabolome, and physics) and no significant correlations with root microbiome and rhizosphere chemicals. These findings indicate that soil VOC profiles could serve as a valuable indicator for assessing soil status, thereby supporting efforts to ensure future global food security.