Root System Size Influences Water‐Nutrient Uptake and Nitrate Leaching Potential in Wheat

Abstract

Environmental and economic considerations require the effective use of water and nutrients to elevate grain production in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with concomitant reduction in nitrate leaching to minimize contamination of underground water. We determined the effect of the root system on leaching fraction, leachate N concentration, and N, P and K uptake using bread wheat ‘Pavon 76’ and its three near‐isogenic translocation lines: Pavon 1RS.1AL, Pavon 1RS.1BL and Pavon 1RS.1DL. These genotypes were grown in sand‐tube experiments under optimum and low level of nutrients for 2 years. Root, stem and leaves, and grain N, P, and K content, and agronomic characters were measured. Leaching fraction and leachate nitrate concentration were measured at early tillering, booting and early grain filling. Significant main effects for year, nutrient level and genotype were found for the characters. Genotype × N interaction was significant only for root P content. Genotype × year interaction was significant only for plant N content, root P content and plant P content. Genotype × year × N interaction was significant only for root N uptake efficiency. Thus, genotypic means averaged across years and nutrient levels are reported. Low levels of nutrients (1330, 235 and 793 mg vs. 1915, 375 and 1268 mg N, P and K, respectively) reduced mean root biomass, plant biomass and grain yield by 27 %, 25 %, and 19 %, respectively. The translocation lines produced 31–46 % more root biomass, 11–14 % heavier grains and 6–8 % greater grain yield than Pavon 76. Leaching fraction was higher under low level of nutrient at booting and grain filling. Leaching fraction at tillering, booting, and grain filling was 67%, 42% and 25%, respectively. Leaching fraction at early tillering was lower for Pavon 1RS.1AL (39 %) and Pavon 1RS.1DL (40.5 %) than for Pavon 76 (45.3 %). Leachate nitrate concentration was lower for two translocation lines at all three stages of plant growth compared to Pavon 76. The correlation coefficient between plant N content and root biomass, between plant N content and plant biomass, and between grain yield and root biomass was positive and significant. Significant positive correlation was found between root biomass and P and K uptake. Multiple small applications of N fertilizer during early plant growth with adequate irrigation water are recommended. Wheat genotypes with superior root characteristics for efficient nutrient uptake, especially during tillering and booting, should be developed in breeding programmes to increase grain yield and to minimize the nitrate leaching.

Diverse concepts of breeding for nitrogen use efficiency. A review

“…To improve NUpE, it was found that cultivars with a larger root system resulted in higher N uptake and did not necessarily decrease grain yield (see, e.g., Ehdaie et al 2010;Andresen et al 2016). Andresen et al (2016) showed that among nine spring wheat cultivars in 2-m-deep tube rhizotrons, the total root biomass could differ almost twofold, and that also the spatial distribution of their root systems in the soil differed substantially.…”

“…This leads to the statement that the uptake of cabbage is already quite efficient (ThorupKristensen 2006a;Schulte auf'm Erley et al 2010); however, research to date has only focused on a limited set of cultivars and to the best of our knowledge, no research has included a large set of genotypes to show whether there is variation that can be exploited in breeding to improve uptake efficiency in cabbage. Moreover, wheat can also root to the same depth as cabbage (2.0 m) and for wheat, much variation has been shown for N uptake and for root length densities at larger depth (beyond 1 m) (Ehdaie et al 2010;Andresen et al 2016). Interestingly, Schulte auf 'm Erley et al (2010) found that N uptake under high N showed more variation whereas under low N, no variation was found.…”

Large root systems: are they useful in adapting wheat to dry environments?

“…Total root length density and root biomass (Waines and Ehdaie 2007;Ehdaie et al 2010) are indicators of the size of a root system. A vigorous root system which has large biomass, length and root length density is then considered as a large root system.…”

Changes in durum wheat root and aerial biomass caused by the introduction of the Rht-B1b dwarfing allele and their effects on yield formation

“…In reduced-input agricultural systems, root traits affecting the acquisition of mineral elements often determine yield (Ehdaie et al 2010;White et al 2013). In the Mediterranean Basin, one of the largest durum wheat producers in the world, more than 50 % of the total grain of durum wheat is produced in arid and semi-arid conditions, with severe drought most years (Loss and Siddique 1994;Araus et al 2003;García del Moral et al 2005).…”