Coenzyme M: An Archaeal Antioxidant as an Agricultural Biostimulant

Abstract

Rising global food demand necessitates improved crop yields. Biostimulants offer a potential solution to meet these demands. Among them, antioxidants have shown potential to improve yield, nutritional quality and resilience to climate change. However, large-scale production of many antioxidants is challenging. Here, we investigate Coenzyme M (CoM), a small, achiral antioxidant from archaea, as a potential biostimulant, investigating its effects on growth and physiology. CoM significantly increased biomass of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in a concentration-dependent manner consistent with it being metabolized. In tobacco, CoM increased photosynthetic light capture capacity, consistent with observed growth improvements. Interestingly, this effect was independent of carbon capture rates. Furthermore, CoM promoted early-stage shoot growth in various crops species, including tobacco, basil, cannabis, and soybean. Our results suggest CoM is a promising, scalable biostimulant with potential to modify photosynthesis and enhance crop productivity. Key PointsO_LIAntioxidant application improves plant growth but is typically too expensive to use widely. C_LIO_LICoenzyme M is a small, easily made antioxidant of Archaeal origin. C_LIO_LIApplied exogenously, Coenzyme M conditionally increases plant biomass. C_LIO_LICoenzyme M represents an antioxidant with potential to be a widely used biostimulant. C_LI