Comparative performance of Lupinus albus genotypes in response to soil alkalinity

Abstract

Narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) grows poorly on alkaline soils, whereas white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) grows relatively well. This study aimed at examining genotypic variations of white lupins grown in limed acid and alkaline soils in the glasshouse and to test whether the glasshouse findings correlated with those observed in the field. Twelve white lupin genotypes were tested for their tolerance of limed and alkaline soils in the glasshouse. In limed soils compared with the control soil, genotypic variation in shoot growth ranged from 58 to 80%, root weight from 49 to 72%, and leaf chlorophyll concentration from 47 to 96%. In the alkaline soil, shoot weight ranged from 75 to 110%, root weight from 39 to 63%, and chlorophyll concentration from 58 to 94% of the control. However, iron chlorosis did not negatively correlate with shoot growth of the genotypes on the limed or alkaline soils. The results suggest that iron chlorosis may not be used as a sole indicator for selecting tolerant albus lupins for alkaline soils. Nineteen lines including those used in the glasshouse were compared in the field for their ability to grow on an alkaline clay. Large genotypic variation in early shoot growth was also found; shoot weight on the alkaline soil relative to an acid soil ranged from 38 to 85%. However, growth performance of the white lupin genotypes in response to the alkaline soil did not correlate with those in the glasshouse, indicating that factors other than soil alkalinity might also be important for the growth of albus lupin. Screening techniques to identify tolerant genotypes for alkaline soils need to be further developed.

Enhancing white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) adaptation to calcareous soils through selection of lime-tolerant plant germplasm and Bradyrhizobium strains

“…The reduction of root biomass under ML soil in Exp. 2 agrees with earlier reports (Liu and Tang 1999;. The concurrent, marked decrease of number and weight of nodules per plant is a well-known (Tang and Thomson 1996).…”

“…Various studies Raza et al 2000;Kerley et al 2002) highlighted the adaptation of Egyptian germplasm to moderately calcareous or limed soils, which reflected their adaptation to conditions of their geographic origins. Variation in adaptation to limed or alkaline soils was also reported by Liu and Tang (1999) for commercial varieties and some accessions of indefinite origin. The high susceptibility to winter cold stress of Egyptian germplasm limits its exploitation in breeding autumn-sown varieties for subcontinentalclimate or Mediterranean environments (Annicchiarico et al 2010(Annicchiarico et al , 2011, raising the need for germplasm sources that combine agroclimatic adaptation to these environments and tolerance to moderately calcareous soils.…”

“…Genotype×soil interaction for shoot biomass was detected across limed and non-limed soils, or acid and moderately alkaline soils, in most (Liu and Tang 1999;Raza et al 2000;Tang et al 2006) but not all (Kerley et al 2002) earlier studies. Two studies (Liu and Tang 1999;Tang et al 2006) also found genotype×soil interaction for root biomass, unlike here.…”

“…2); and (2) grain yield assessment in contrasting soil types placed in different locations, with confounding of soil type and climatic effects (e.g., Christiansen et al 2000, or the current multilocational testing). Experiments in pots or liquid culture, although necessary in many contexts, may also suffer from abnormal plant root growth and fairly modest correlations with agricultural environments for shoot growth response of genotypes (Liu and Tang 1999). However, our artificial environments also suffered some potential limitations.…”

“…Lupin grain and biomass reduction is expected in soils whose active lime (i.e., the soluble fraction of calcium carbonate according to Drouineau's 1942 method) exceeds 1% (Papineau and Huyghe 2004), which are mildly calcareous, or in soils with an alkaline reaction (Tang and Thomson 1996). Active lime tends to have greater depressive effects than alkalinity (Duthion 1992;Liu and Tang 1999), but these factors are associated in calcareous soils. Although Ca 2+ may directly affect Lupinus species (Jayasundara et al 1998), the main effects of lime are indirect, through the precipitation of organic acids secreted by lupin cluster roots to mobilize and uptake phosphorus and iron (Dinkelaker et al 1989) and through the inhibition of iron uptake by HCO 3 - (Tang and Thomson 1996).…”