Record ID No. |
4317 |
Author(s) |
Yan Deng, Keru Chen, Wan Teng, Ai Zhan, Yiping Tong, Gu Feng, Zhenling Cui, Fusuo Zhang, *Xinping Chen , 2014 |
Affiliation |
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China, *Email: chenxp@cau.edu.cn |
Title |
Is the inherent potential of maize roots efficient for soil phosphorus acquisition? |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
PLoS ONE 9(3): Article number e90287 |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Soil plant relations |
Sub-subjects |
Manuring |
Host |
Zea mays |
Organism |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) |
Country |
China, East Asia |
Abstracts |
Sustainable agriculture requires improved phosphorus (P) management to reduce the overreliance on P fertilization. Despite intensive research of root adaptive mechanisms for improving P acquisition, the inherent potential of roots for efficient P acquisition remains unfulfilled, especially in intensive agriculture, while current P management generally focuses on agronomic and environmental concerns. Here, we investigated how levels of soil P affect the inherent potential of maize (Zea mays L.) roots to obtain P from soil. Responses of root morphology, arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization, and phosphate transporters were characterized and related to agronomic traits in pot and field experiments with soil P supply from deficiency to excess. Critical soil Olsen-P level for maize growth approximated 3.2 mg kg-1, and the threshold indicating a significant environmental risk was about 15 mg kg-1, which represented the lower and upper levels of soil P recommended in current P management. However, most root adaptations involved with P acquisition were triggered when soil Olsen-P was below 10 mg kg-1, indicating a threshold for maximum root inherent potential. Therefore, to maintain efficient inherent potential of roots for P acquisition, we suggest that the target upper level of soil P in intensive agriculture should be reduced from the environmental risk threshold to the point maximizing the inherent potential of roots. |