TY - JOUR
T1 - What root traits determine grass resistance to phosphorus deficiency in production grassland?
AU - Ros, Mart B.H.
AU - de Deyn, Gerlinde B.
AU - Koopmans, Gerwin F.
AU - Oenema, Oene
AU - van Groenigen, Jan Willem
PY - 2018/6
Y1 - 2018/6
N2 - Grasslands are a major form of agricultural land use worldwide. Current and future declines of phosphorus (P) inputs into production grasslands necessitate a shift towards selecting grass species based on high efficiency under suboptimal, rather than optimal P conditions. It is therefore imperative to identify key root traits that determine P acquisition of grasses in soils with a low P status. In a 9-month greenhouse experiment, we grew eight common grass species and cultivars on a soil with a low P status and related root morphological traits to their performance under P-limiting conditions. We applied (P1) or withheld (P0) P fertilization while providing adequate amounts of all other nutrients. Omitting P fertilization greatly reduced yield and nutrient acquisition for the various grass species. Biomass production differed significantly (P < 0.1%) among species and P fertilization treatments, varying from 17.1 to 72.1 g pot−1 in the P0 treatment and from 33.4 to 85.8 g pot−1 in the P1 treatment. Root traits were species-specific and unresponsive to P fertilization, but overall we observed a trade-off between root biomass and specific root length. Structural equation modeling identified total root length as key factor with respect to resistance to P deficiency, especially when roots explored the subsoil. Optimizing root length and subsoil exploration could be the key to maintaining high productivity of production grasslands with decreasing P availability. This is relevant for both plant breeding programs and for composing seed mixtures.
AB - Grasslands are a major form of agricultural land use worldwide. Current and future declines of phosphorus (P) inputs into production grasslands necessitate a shift towards selecting grass species based on high efficiency under suboptimal, rather than optimal P conditions. It is therefore imperative to identify key root traits that determine P acquisition of grasses in soils with a low P status. In a 9-month greenhouse experiment, we grew eight common grass species and cultivars on a soil with a low P status and related root morphological traits to their performance under P-limiting conditions. We applied (P1) or withheld (P0) P fertilization while providing adequate amounts of all other nutrients. Omitting P fertilization greatly reduced yield and nutrient acquisition for the various grass species. Biomass production differed significantly (P < 0.1%) among species and P fertilization treatments, varying from 17.1 to 72.1 g pot−1 in the P0 treatment and from 33.4 to 85.8 g pot−1 in the P1 treatment. Root traits were species-specific and unresponsive to P fertilization, but overall we observed a trade-off between root biomass and specific root length. Structural equation modeling identified total root length as key factor with respect to resistance to P deficiency, especially when roots explored the subsoil. Optimizing root length and subsoil exploration could be the key to maintaining high productivity of production grasslands with decreasing P availability. This is relevant for both plant breeding programs and for composing seed mixtures.
KW - P acquisition
KW - root characteristics
KW - root length
KW - structural equation modeling
KW - yield
U2 - 10.1002/jpln.201700093
DO - 10.1002/jpln.201700093
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85042555249
SN - 1436-8730
VL - 181
SP - 323
EP - 335
JO - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
JF - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
IS - 3
ER -