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Morphological responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots to phosphorus supply in two contrasting soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2015

H. M. YUAN ,
M. BLACKWELL ,
S. MCGRATH ,
T. S. GEORGE ,
S. H. GRANGER ,
J. M. B. HAWKINS ,
S. DUNHAM  and
J. B. SHEN
H. M. YUAN
Affiliation:
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian, Beijing 100193, China
M. BLACKWELL
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton EX20 2SB, UK
S. MCGRATH
Affiliation:
Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
T. S. GEORGE
Affiliation:
The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
S. H. GRANGER
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton EX20 2SB, UK
J. M. B. HAWKINS
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton EX20 2SB, UK
S. DUNHAM
Affiliation:
Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
J. B. SHEN*
Affiliation:
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian, Beijing 100193, China
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: 08036@cau.edu.cn
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Summary

To cope with phosphorus (P) deficiency, plants adapt root morphology to enhance inorganic P (Pi) acquisition from soil by allocating more biomass to roots, but whether the responses can be modified across gradients of P supply is not fully understood. The present study examined changes in root-length density (RLD), root-hair density (RHD) and root-hair length (RHL) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in two contrasting soils, the Rough and Barnfield soils. Wheat plants were grown for 3 weeks in thin-plate rhizotrons in two soils with additions of 0, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg P/kg soil. Contrary to published literature, as P additions increased it was observed that a concomitant increase in RHL (250 to 1054 µm in the Rough soil and 303–1075 µm in the Barnfield soil) and RHD (57 to 122/mm in the Rough soil and 56–120/mm in the Barnfield soil), while RLD generally decreased (2480–1130 cm/cm3 in the Rough soil and 1716–865 cm/cm3 in the Barnfield soil). The levels of added P that resulted in critical P concentrations in the soils enabling maximum shoot biomass production were 50 mg/kg P in the Rough soil and 100 mg/kg P in the Barnfield soil, and these additions influenced root morphological changes. Under severe P deficiency, P supply increased RHL and RHD, but RLD was decreased. Improvement in lateral root and root-hair responses in wheat at extreme P deficiency may be a worthy target for breeding more sustainable genotypes for future agroecosystems.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 154 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 98 - 108
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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