Increased Carbon Partitioning to Secondary Metabolites Under Phosphorus Deficiency in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. Is Modulated by Plant Growth Stage and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is one of the macronutrients limiting plant growth. Plants regulate carbon (C) allocation and partitioning to cope with P deficiency, while such strategy could potentially be influenced by plant growth stage and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. In a greenhouse pot experiment using licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) as the host plant, we investigated C allocation belowground and partitioning in roots of P-limited plants in comparison with P-sufficient plants under different mycorrhization status in two plant growth stages. The experimental results indicated that increased C allocation belowground by P limitation was observed only in non-AM plants in the early growth stage. Although root C partitioning to secondary metabolites (SMs) in the non-AM plants was increased by P limitation as expected, trade-off patterns were different between the two growth stages, with C partitioning to SMs at the expense of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) in the early growth stage but at the expense of root growth in the late growth stage. These changes, however, largely disappeared because of AM symbiosis, where more root C was partitioned to root growth and AM fungus without any changes in C allocation belowground and partitioning to SMs under P limitations. The results highlighted that besides assisting with plant P acquisition, AM symbiosis may alter plant C allocation and partitioning to improve plant tolerance to P deficiency.

The link between changing in host carbon allocation and resistance to Magnaporthe oryzae : a possible tactic for mitigating the rice blast fungus

“… 25 , 34 By altering these pathways, the plant’s defenses against M. oryzae may be strengthened by a boost in the synthesis of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial qualities. 71 , 72 Furthermore, a targeted strategy is provided by using genetic engineering to modify genes linked to defense and carbon allocation. Long-lasting and sustainable solutions can be achieved by creating rice varieties with increased resistance through the optimization of carbon utilization pathways.…”

The combined application of ethylenediurea and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alleviates ozone damage to Medicago sativa L

“…Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can establish symbiotic associations with the majority of terrestrial plants (Wang and Qiu, 2006). In this relationship, plants supply lipids and sugars to AM fungi (Jiang et al, 2017), while the AM fungi aid plants in the absorption of mineral nutrients and water (Li et al, 2013;Li et al, 2014;Xie et al, 2019;Xie et al, 2022). A large number of studies have shown that AM fungi play an active role in helping plants cope with a wide range of abiotic stresses (Malhi et al, 2021), such as drought (Li et al, 2013;Li et al, 2014), heavy metals (Wu et al, 2015;Li et al, 2018), and salt-alkali (Santander et al, 2017).…”

Bacillus megaterium Compensates for Growth Inhibition from Phosphorus Deficiency by Improving Photosynthetic Capacity, Changing Antioxidant Potential, and Regulating Non-Structural Carbohydrate Concentrations in Glycyrrhiza uralensis

“…), a perennial medicinal plant primarily grown in the arid loess plateau where P is usually a limiting macronutrient, require more P for nitrogen (N)-fixation (Zhong et al, 2023). In particular, licorice demands high P in the early growth stages (Xie et al, 2022). However, there is limited understanding regarding the potential of Bacillus megaterium to induce resistance to low P in licorice.…”