A study on the relationship between morel mushroom cultivation and soil factors and effective components

ABSTRACT This study aims to reveal the spatial distribution patterns of effective components in different parts of morel mushrooms, analyse the impact of cultivation on soil factors, and explore the intrinsic relationship between soil factors and effective components, providing a theoretical basis for precision cultivation and ecological agriculture. Samples were collected from two regions, Daozhen and Shuicheng, and 28 soil factors and five effective components were measured. Correlation analysis was conducted to study the coupling relationships between variables. The results showed that post-planting, soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen (AN), total nitrogen (TN), available potassium (AK), total humic acid (THA), C/P and N/P levels increased at both sites, with respective increases of 8.5%–48.1%, 1.2%–26.8%, 40.2%–84.7%, 6.5%–23.4%, 10.5%–51.1% and 12.8%–41.3%; while pH, total phosphorus (TP), water-soluble humic acid (WSH), Na, Fe, Zn, Mn and Se decreased by 2.4%–4.6%, 10.1%–10.8%, 4.1%–21.9%, 0.6%–5.5%, 0.7%–4.9%, 2.3%–2.9%, 5.3%–21% and 15.5%–21.2%, respectively. Both region are primarily nitrogen-limited with accompanying phosphorus mineralisation, while carbon limitation is not significant. Cap content is generally higher than stalk content, but the difference between the two parts within the same region is within 5%, indicating significant development potential for the stalk. The Daozhen region exhibits superior accumulation of total phenols and total saponins, while the Shuicheng region stands out for its higher polysaccharide and protein content. The two origins show little difference in total flavonoids. Soil factors total potassium (TK), Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Be and Ni all showed positive correlations ( p ≤ 0.05) with total phenolics, total saponins and protein content. These factors collectively promoted the accumulation of these three effective components in morel mushrooms, while TK, Mg, Na, Fe, Co and Ni all showed negative correlations with total polysaccharides ( p > 0.05). Increased levels of these soil factors inhibit the accumulation of total polysaccharides in morel ( p > 0.05). Total flavonoids are minimally affected by soil factors, exhibiting only a negative correlation with SOM. Soil factors are the key limiting factors for effective components, and production management should be adjusted according to local conditions.