Influence of phosphorus nutrition and root zone temperature on growth and mineral uptake of peach seedlings¹

Abstract

Siberian C peach seedlings (Prunus persica L. Batsch) were grown for 35 days in all combinations of Long Ashton nutrient solution containing P concentrations of 0.05, 0.5, or 5.0 mM and root zone temperatures (RZT) of 8°C, 16°C, and 24°C. At harvest, a significant interaction between solution P concentration and RZT occurred for shoot and root dry weight, root length, shoot P concentration and shoot P uptake. At 8°C RZT, P concentration and uptake but not growth were increased by P. At 16°C and 24° C RZT, growth was depressed at the 5.0 mM P level with shoot P concentration and uptake lower at 24°C than 16°C. The inflow of P to the peach shoot per unit root length was increased at high P concentration and low temperatures but was lower than whole plant inflow rates for apples. The growth depression at high temperature-high P was related to increased young leaf chlorosis, reduced shoot Fe and a possible P/Zn imbalance. INTRODUCTIONRoot-zone temperature (RZT) can strongly influence root and subsequent shoot development (1) and shoot mineral accumulation including P (2). However, only a few studies (3,4) have investigated the effects of RZT on fruit tree growth and nutrition. Phosphorus nutrition of fruit trees has also received little detailed attention since many early studies indicated few responses to P fertilization (5) and

Application of the “4R” Nutrient Stewardship Concept to Horticultural Crops: Getting Nutrients in the “Right” Place

“…Thus, applying fertilizer where new root growth occurs allows plants to take up more nutrients and reduces the risk of fertilizer loss, provided nutrient concentrations remain low enough to avoid salinity problems and prevent damage to the roots. New root production is regulated at least in part by soil temperature (Kasper and Bland, 1992;McMichael and Burke, 1998), although it is also affected by stage of plant development and the availability of soil water and nutrients (Barber et al, 1988;Dong et al, 2001;Hogue and Neilsen, 1986;Jackson and Bloom, 1990;Tagliavini et al, 1991;Tsegaye et al, 1995). In annual and transplanted perennial crops, new roots emerge from the seed, bare root, or root ball and develop in response to favorable soil conditions.…”

Iron and zinc levels in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp under varying phosphorus and fixed nitrogen treatment conditions

“…This presupposes that the grain accumulation of Fe and Zn of the genotypes is markedly influenced by P and N interactions. The mechanisms involved in these interactions are not well understood, but Wilkinson, Grunes, and Sumner(1999) had espoused that N can increase P uptake in plants by increasing root growth, the ability of roots to absorb and translocate P, and by decreasing soil pH as a result of absorption of NH 4 + ,thus increasing solubility of fertilizer P. Large amounts of P (as in 60P) can lead to luxury uptake of P (Tagliavini, Hogue, & Neilsen, 1991), thereby raising the ratios of P to Fe (De Kock & Wallace, 1965) and Zn in plant tissues (Loneragan, Grove, Robson, & Snowball, 1979;Loneragan et al, 1982), and this has often been associated with deficiency symptoms of the two micronutrients (Murphy, Ellis, & Adriano, 1981). Yet it is not clear whether the major interaction take place in the plant or in the soil (Fageria, 2001).…”

Elevated Air Temperatures Cause Foliar Bleaching of Ivy Geranium ‘Beach’ and ‘Butterfly’

“…Iron uptake decreased with increasing root zone temperatures (Raeini-Sartaz and Barthakur, 1995;Tagliavini et al, 1991). Lettuce grown with high ambient root-zone temperatures normally show symptoms of Fe deficiency Lee, 1998a, 1998b).…”