Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 277-290 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 288 the abundance of beneficial microorganisms such as Burkholderia and Cupriavidus. In contrast, the total content of atractylenolides is negatively associated with soil alkaline nitrogen. Future fertilizer management should therefore optimize the balance of available phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen while adjusting fertilization according to soil properties and changes in the rhizosphere microbial community. A. macrocephala is sensitive to both prolonged waterlogging and continuous drought. Irrigation and drainage should therefore be adjusted according to different growth stages. During the early growth period, suitable soil moisture is essential for seedling emergence and establishment. During rapid rhizome enlargement, stable water supply should be maintained to support photosynthesis and assimilate transport. During the maturation stage, excess water should be removed promptly to reduce the risk of root rot and rhizome decay. In the future, nutrient and water management should move from experience-based practices to precision management. Soil nutrient testing, soil moisture monitoring, rhizosphere microbial analysis, and plant nutritional diagnosis can be integrated to develop more efficient management strategies. Such approaches will improve fertilizer use efficiency, reduce resource inputs, and maintain stable medicinal quality. 7.3 Cultivar and planting material management Because A. macrocephala and its related species differ considerably in chemical composition and medicinal quality, the authenticity of planting materials should be strictly guaranteed. Mixing different botanical origins or using closely related species by mistake should be avoided. A. macrocephala is characterized by atractylon as one of its representative chemical compounds, while the botanical origin recognized in pharmacopoeias differs among East Asian countries. Therefore, greater attention should be given to germplasm conservation and standardized seedling production to ensure cultivar purity and stable medicinal quality. In addition, the discovery of new bis-sesquiterpene lactones in wild A. macrocephala suggests that different germplasm resources possess distinct genetic potential. Strengthening the collection, conservation, and evaluation of local germplasm resources will provide valuable materials for future breeding programs (Li et al., 2017). Future breeding should focus on selecting superior parental lines and evaluating yield, medicinal quality, stress resistance, and genetic stability to develop new cultivars adapted to different ecological regions. Traditional propagation by seed is limited by low germination, slow multiplication, and the short storage life of planting materials, making it difficult to satisfy the needs of large-scale commercial production. Tissue culture propagation can greatly improve the multiplication efficiency of elite planting materials. Therefore, future seedling production should establish standardized propagation systems based on elite cultivars and tissue culture technology. Such systems can provide disease-free, genetically stable, and traceable planting materials while supporting regional adaptability testing and graded seedling supply to improve production consistency. 7.4 Sustainable production system High-quality A. macrocephala production also requires a modern production system that balances economic returns, environmental protection, and long-term resource sustainability. Unlike conventional production systems that rely heavily on chemical inputs and disease control, sustainable production places greater emphasis on soil health, rhizosphere restoration, and whole-process quality management. Improving the production environment is essential for maintaining both medicinal quality and long-term productivity. Long-term continuous cropping reduces the diversity of endophytic fungi in the roots, stems, leaves, and rhizomes of A. macrocephala. It also changes the composition of rhizosphere and endophytic fungal communities while promoting the accumulation of soil-borne pathogens such as Fusarium. Soil pH, hydrolyzable nitrogen, electrical conductivity, and other environmental factors are closely associated with microbial community composition, indicating that continuous-cropping obstacles are fundamentally caused by long-term ecological imbalance in the soil ecosystem. Therefore, crop rotation, fallowing, soil improvement, and organic matter application should become routine components of long-term production management to restore soil ecological functions. Establishing a complete quality traceability system is another important direction for sustainable production. With the development of stable isotope analysis, multi-element analysis, electronic nose technology, and electronic
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