Phosphorus absorption and use efficiency by Lotus spp. under water stress conditions in two soils: A pot experiment

Abstract

The response to P and water deficiencies of forage Lotus species has not been sufficiently studied in the Andisol and Vertisol soil orders in Chile's marginal areas. A pot experiment under cover was carried out between October 2007 and March 2008 to study the effects of P and soil water availability (SWA) on DM production, P absorption, and P use efficiency in Lotus spp. The experiment included three Lotus (L. corniculatus L., L. tenuis Waldst. & Kit. ex Willd., and L. uliginosus Schkuhr) species, two soils (Andisol and Vertisol), two contrasting P levels (low and high), and two SWA levels (10% and 100%). A completely randomized design with a 3 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with four replicates was used. Accumulated shoot and root DM, P absorption and efficiency, and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization were measured. Phosphorus absorption was significantly higher in Andisol with 100% SWA and high P in the three species, which was reflected in P efficiency where the species exhibited higher P absorption efficiency (PAE) and P utilization efficiency (PUE) with low P, and mean of the three species with low P and high SWA. When the P level was low, L. uliginosus showed the highest PAE and L. corniculatus exhibited the highest PUE. Phosphorus efficiency was also influenced by AM colonization since on the average mycorrhization in the three species was significantly higher in the low P treatments. Differences existed among species for DM production, response to P, P absorption, PAE, and PUE.

Dynamics of Short-Term Phosphorus Uptake by Intact Mycorrhizal and Non-mycorrhizal Maize Plants Grown in a Circulatory Semi-Hydroponic Cultivation System

“…Short-Term Pi uptake dynamics was first investigated by Colpaert et al (1999) in roots of intact P. sylvestris seedlings colonized by four different ECM fungi and further extended to the same ECM-plant couples by Van Tichelen et al (1999) to study Pi uptake under copper toxicity. For AMF, P acquisition by plants was mostly investigated using 33 P or 32 P ( Smith et al, 2011 ; Walder et al, 2015 ; Kavka and Polle, 2016 ) or by destructive harvest of plants and analysis of P concentration in shoots and roots ( Castillo et al, 2013 ; Nazeri et al, 2014 ; Xie et al, 2014 ; Gonçalves de Oliveira et al, 2017 ). For instance, Poss et al (1985) analyzed P concentration from harvested plants as well as from the leachate volume collected during irrigation, to establish the P loss from mixed substrate.…”

“…The contribution of AMF to Pi uptake and plant nutrition has been investigated extensively ( Smith et al, 2011 ) under greenhouse ( Nouri et al, 2014 ; Walder et al, 2015 ), in the field ( Yang et al, 2014 ) and for some under in vitro culture conditions ( Dupré de Boulois et al, 2006 ; Calonne et al, 2014 ) using various isotopes (i.e., 33 P and 32 P). Studies were almost all destructive ( Castillo et al, 2013 ; Nazeri et al, 2014 ; Xie et al, 2014 ; Yang et al, 2014 ; Gonçalves de Oliveira et al, 2017 ) thus preventing continuous measurements of Pi uptake by intact non-perturbed plant-AMF associates. Studies conducted by Colpaert et al (1999) and Van Tichelen et al (1999) with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi implemented a short-term Pi uptake dynamics on intact ECM and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris seedlings using a non-destructive semi-hydroponic cultivation system ( Colpaert et al, 1999 ).…”

The phosphorus dilemma in organically farmed grasslands – are legume presence and phytodiversity incompatible?

“…In a pot experiment in Chile, Castillo et al (2013) determined differences among Lotus species according to their PAE and P use efficiency (PUE). With a small P supply, L. corniculatus showed the largest PUE, meaning that the species could produce more dry matter per unit absorbed P, whereas L. pedunculatus had the largest PAE.…”

“…With a small P supply, L. corniculatus showed the largest PUE, meaning that the species could produce more dry matter per unit absorbed P, whereas L. pedunculatus had the largest PAE. P content, soil type and water availability interact with PAE, PUE, biomass production and colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizae (Castillo et al 2013). Even cultivars and populations of one single legume species can show differing PUE and PAE and thus different potentials for application in practice (Caradus 1994;Acuña and Inostroza 2013).…”

“…With the choice of a suitable legume species for grasslands low in soil P like the ones we investigated, not only the total biomass production, but also the P content of the product can be enhanced (Käding and Werner 2003;Castillo et al 2013). This also affects its quality and suitability for high-performance livestock.…”