内生放线菌CoT10铁载体介导辣椒铁生物强化

pproximately one-third of the global population suffers from hidden hunger due to iron deficiency, and increasing the iron content in major crops has become an important strategy to alleviate this issue. In this study, we used the endophytic actinomycete CoT10, a high producer of siderophores, and chili (Capsicum annuum) to investigate the role of endophyte-derived siderophores in iron biofortification of chili. Using homologous recombination technology, we constructed a ΔdesD mutant of CoT10, in which the key siderophore biosynthesis gene desD was deleted. We analyzed the siderophore production, growth curve, and plant growth-promoting effects of CoT10 and ΔdesD. The results showed that desD gene knockout significantly reduced siderophore production but had minimal impact on the growth of the strain and its growth-promoting effects. When treating chili with CoT10 and ΔdesD, CoT10 significantly enhanced the root absorption and transport of iron compared to ΔdesD, resulting in a 40.37% increase in iron content in the chili fruits. This study offers a novel approach to addressing iron deficiency-induced hidden hunger and highlights the potential of the endophytic actinomycete CoT10 siderophore in iron biofortification.