Analysis of Quality Differences in <i>Rhizoma Musae</i> From Different Origins Based on Rhizosphere Soil Bacterial Diversity and Metabolomics

ABSTRACT The origin is a core factor affecting the quality of Chinese medicinal materials. To reveal the intrinsic relationship among soil factors, rhizosphere microorganisms, and quality differences of Rhizoma Musae (the dried rhizome of Musa basjoo ), we systematically explored the formation association and potential underlying mechanisms of Rhizoma Musae from different origins using integrated analysis of bacterial diversity and metabolomics. The results showed that the contents of total flavonoids, polysaccharides, total phenols, and alkaloids in Rhizoma Musae varied significantly among origins ( p &lt; 0.05), with samples from GZ showing the highest overall levels. Although no significant difference was observed in rhizosphere bacterial community diversity across origins ( p &gt; 0.05), the composition of dominant bacterial genera varied distinctly. A total of 571 differential metabolites were identified via metabolomic analysis, which were mainly enriched in phenylpropanoid metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, and ABC transporter pathways. Correlation analysis revealed that rhizosphere microorganisms were significantly associated with soil factors transformation and secondary metabolism regulation in Rhizoma Musae . In conclusion, soil factors were significantly associated with rhizobacterial community structure at the genus level, and these specific microbial taxa showed significant correlations with the accumulation of plant secondary metabolites related to soil resource utilization; collectively, soil properties and rhizosphere microorganisms showed significant associations with the quality differences of Rhizoma Musae from different geographical origins. This study provides a scientific basis for quality evaluation, genuineness association analysis, and putative high‐quality cultivation of Rhizoma Musae.