Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics for the Development of Bioinputs: A Review on Plant Growth-Promoting Yeasts

Abstract

Technologies offering economic, technical, and environmental advantages over conventional chemical products hold promise for replacing chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Due to the positive interactions between plant growth-promoting yeasts (PGPY) and plants, there has been significant focus on developing bioinputs derived from these microorganisms and their metabolites. However, to advance the development of more specific and effective bioinputs, while also ensuring the health of both producers and consumers, it is crucial to deepen our understanding of microorganism-plant interactions, plant responses to microbial presence, and the metabolic changes in plants following bioinput application. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics offers valuable insights into the metabolite interactions between microorganisms and plants, proving essential for a comprehensive understanding of these processes. This review presents the current state of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, highlighting targeted and untargeted approaches, sample preparation, instrumentation, and data analysis methods, as well as their application in investigating the benefits of PGPY. The findings aim to provide insights that can aid in the development of commercial bioinputs. Despite substantial research published in scientific journals, only a limited number of yeast-based bioinputs have been commercialized in recent years, underscoring both the challenges and opportunities within this field.

Keywords:
plant growth promoter; microorganisms; biotechnology; sustainable agriculture; metabolomics