Available P is the major growth-limiting factor in southern China where Chinese fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) plantations are increasingly established. Planting P-efficient clones is a viable option to enhance productivity of Chinese fir plantations. Two Chinese fir clones with high P efficiency (M1 and M4) were chosen as the research materials and their adaptive responses to low P stress were examined. The increment in root morphological traits and biomass production of these clones was measured by a sand culture experiment with a heterogeneous P supply. For both clones, P starvation resulted in significantly higher root surface area and root volume but not root length. For clone M4, the mean root diameter was also larger under P deficiency than under normal P supply. Interestingly, the root morphological traits varied substantially within the same root system where the starved roots had higher values for all morphological traits than the nonstarved ones. Phosphorus starvation did not affect shoot and root biomass or the root to shoot ratio, but the whole-plant biomass increment was large under P deficiency for clone M4. In conclusion, the adaptation to low P stress in these clones is attributed to increased P acquisition and utilization efficiencies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.