Effect of Phosphorus Deficiency Stress on Rice Lateral Root Growth and Nutrient Absorption

Six rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes with different performances under phosphorus (P) deficiency stress were tested in mixed growth medium of vermiculite and sand under different conditions of P supply to evaluate the effects of P deficiency stress on lateral root growth and the relations between lateral root growth induced by P deficiency and P absorption. The results showed that elongation and development of lateral root were induced by P deficiency. There was significant genotypic variation in lateral root growth in response to P deficiency. A significant positive correlation was observed between the increase of lateral root length per cm of nodal root and the increase of root surface area per cm of nodal root (RSAP), while no significant correlation was observed between the increase of lateral root number per cm of nodal root and the increase of RSAP. The result suggested that the increase of root surface area under P deficiency condition could be mainly attributable to the increase of lateral root length induced. P uptake was significantly positively correlated with the total root surface area and positively correlated with the total lateral root length and the total lateral root number under P deficiency, which implied that elongation and development of lateral root were important to the ability of P uptake from growth medium where P supply was poor. Analysis of soluble sugar content indicated that P deficiency stress changed the distribution of carbohydrate between roots and shoots.