Plant factors influencing phosphorus uptake by white clover from solution culture

Summary The phosphorus (P) uptake rate of several white clover populations was determined in two solution culture experiments. Populations and cultivars differed in P uptake per plant and per unit root length in both experiments. Correlation and multiple regression analysis showed that differences between populations for P uptake per plant were largely related (r²>80%) to differences in leaf area and absolute growth rate, when plants had been grown at high-P levels, and by differences in root size and absolute growth rate when plants had been grown at low-P levels. Differences between populations for P uptake per unit root length were related (r²≈50%) to leaf area and relative growth rate in experiment 1 and to transpiration rate and water influx in experiment 2, when plants were pretreated at high-P levels. Differences between populations for P uptake per unit root length were negatively related to root size when plants had been grown at low-P levels. On the basis of these and other results it is suggested that P uptake per plant is determined largely by shoot factors. However, P uptake per unit root length is negatively related to root size, because demand for P is largely determined by shoot factors, and so differences in root size lead to an apparent difference in uptake per unit of root size.     

Effect of ammonium and nitrate nutrition on some physiological processes in higher plants - growth, photosynthesis, photorespiration, and water relations

Ammonium and nitrate as different forms of nitrogen nutrients impact differently on some physiological and biochemical processes in higher plants. Compared to nitrate, ammonium results in small root and small leaf area, which may contribute to a low carbon gain, and an inhibition on growth. On the other hand, due to (photo)energy saving, a higher CO (2) assimilation rate per leaf area was observed frequently in plants supplied with ammonium than in those supplied with nitrate. These results were dependent not only on higher Rubisco content and/or activity, but also on RuBP regeneration rate. The difference in morphology such as chloroplast volume and specific leaf weight might be the reason why the CO (2) concentration in the carboxylation site and hence the photorespiration rate differs in plants supplied with the two nitrogen forms. The effect of nitrogen form on water uptake and transportation in plants is dependent both on leaf area or shoot parameter, and on the root activity (i.e., root hydraulic conductivity, aquaporin activity).     

Salinity, growth and root respiration in the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina

Relationships between growth parameters and root respiration under various conditions of salinity were investigated in seedlings of the grey mangrove Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. Growth, root/shoot ratios, leaf succulence and osmotic potential of leaves were measured for seedlings grown for 6–8 weeks in 100, 50, 25 and 0% seawater. Oxygen uptake of root segments, from distal to proximal ends of roots, was measured for all treatments. Total growth was maximal in 25% seawater, highest leaf succulence was obtained in 50% seawater, and highest leaf osmotic potential in 100% seawater. Oxygen uptake in distal root segments, as measured both by Clark oxygen electrode and Warburg manometry, showed a stimulation in the presence of salt that closely paralleled growth stimulation. The rates of respiration were highest in 25% seawater. The oxygen uptake was not stimulated by salt per se, since concentrations higher than 25% were associated with a decline in rate of oxygen uptake from the maximum. Values for the respiratory quotient approximated to one in all treatments. Avicennia marina has been reported to exclude from its roots about 90% of the salt in the surrounding medium. It might have been expected that increased concentrations of salt in the growth medium would be associated with a standard salt respiration response in the roots; however, this was not obtained.     

METABOLIC PRIORITIES WITH RESPECT TO GROWTH AND MINERAL UPTAKE IN ROOTS OF HORDEUM,TRITICUM AND LYCOPERSICON

Reduction in the supply of photosynthate to the roots of tomato, barley, and wheat plants was achieved indirectly by lowering the intensity of sunlight striking the foliage of test plants. The decrease in sugar and starch concentrations in the roots was verified by appropriate extraction and colorimetric analysis, and a corresponding reduction in the total respiratory rate of the roots was confirmed using an oxygen tension monitor. Other processes measured directly include the rate of uptake of potassium, the mitotic quotient in the root tip—a measure of growth—and the rate of accumulation of dry matter in the root. The study demonstrated that of the metabolic activities observed, root growth is the process first limited when the supply of photosynthetic fuel is decreased. Root growth was severely inhibited under conditions that did not significantly affect either the active uptake of potassium per gram of root or total respiration per gram of root. With greater restriction of photosynthesis, growth was completely halted while the uptake of potassium was strongly decreased and total respiration was still affected only moderately. As the light intensity is reduced significantly, most of the reduced energy supply in the root appears to be used in support of processes critical to maintenance of the organ and the organism.     

The Relationship between Transpiration, Root Water Uptake, and Leaf Water Potential

The effect of changing the transpiration rate on leaf waterpotential and water balance has been examined to show if permeabilityof the plant (predominantly the roots) is constant or varieswith the transpiration rate. Measurements of leaf effectivethickness, water potential, transpiration, and uptake of waterby roots were made on sunflower, barley, and maize plants grownin solution culture and subjected to a range of atmosphericconditions and root treatments: cooling, low osmotic potential,and removal of part of the root system. Leaf water potential changed little under a wide range of atmosphericconditions and rates of water flux in the three species, sothat the root permeability to water increases as the rate oftranspiration, and therefore flow across the root surface, increases.Equality between uptake and loss of water and thereby maintenanceof constant leaf water potential is assisted by stomatal changes,which appear to be in response to conditions at or in the rootrather than a direct response to changes in bulk leaf waterpotential.     

Nitrogen supply and the control of expansive growth and function in leaves and roots

In plants which have acclimatized to limiting supplies of nitrogen (steady-state nutrition), leaf expansion (numbers and sizes of leaves and cells) is under tight control. Over a wide range of nitrogen supplies, the control of leaf growth is associated with a narrow band of photosynthetic rate per leaf area (measured at the growth climate) and, at limiting supplies, a carbon uptake which is in excess of immediate carbon usage in structural growth.For every increment of nitrogen absorbed, root extension is greater at limited nitrate supply, but V_max values (per root dry weight) for nitrate absorption are typically less. However, the capacity of the whole root system for nitrate uptake at limited supply is sufficient to allow for maximum growth, should nitrate supply be increased.It is concluded that a better understanding at the cellular level of the mechanisms which result in a greater inhibition of the expansion of single leaves than of root extension would contribute to an understanding of differences in carbon sink strength among plant organs. This may be a crucial step towards a more physiologically-based appreciation of plant dry matter distribution among organs in plants experiencing different nitrogen supplies.     

Efficiency of nitrate uptake in spinach: impact of external nitrate concentration and relative growth rate on nitrate influx and efflux

Regulation of nitrate influx and efflux in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L., cv. Subito), was studied in short-term label experiments with 13N- and 15N-nitrate. Nitrate fluxes were examined in relation to the N demand for growth, defined as relative growth rate (RGR) times plant N concentration. Plants were grown at different nitrate concentrations (0.8 and 4 mM), with mineral composition of growth and uptake solutions identical. Nitrate influx, efflux and net nitrate uptake rate (NNUR) were independent of the external nitrate concentration, despite differences in internal nitrate concentration. At both N regimes, NNUR was adequate to meet the N demand for growth. RGR-related signals predominantly determined the nitrate fluxes. At high RGR (0.25 g g-1 day-1), nitrate influx was 20 to 40% lower and nitrate efflux was 50 to 70% lower than at lower RGR (0.17 g g-1 day-1); efflux:influx ratio (E:I) declined from 0.5 at low RGR to 0.2 at higher RGR. Thus, the efficiency of NNUR substantially increased with increasing RGR. Differences in nitrate translocation between morning and afternoon coincided with differences in nitrate efflux, which is in accordance with the suggested regulation of nitrate efflux by the root cytoplasmic nitrate concentration. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mineral uptake and transport in xylem and phloem of the proteaceous tree,Banksia prionotes

Xylem sap of sinker (tap) root, cluster feeding roots, lateral roots and from an age series of main stem extensions of 6-year trees of Banksia prionotes was collected and analyzed for principal organic and inorganic solutes. During the phase of root uptake activity in winter and spring, cluster roots were principal xylem donors of malate, phosphate, chloride, sodium, potassium and amino acid N whereas other parts of the root served as major sources to the shoot of other cations, nitrate and sulphate. Sinker root xylem sap was at all times less concentrated in solutes than that of lateral roots into which cluster roots were voiding exported solutes. Phosphate was abstracted from xylem by stem tissue during winter and it and a range of other solutes released back to xylem immediately prior to extension growth of the shoot in summer. Phloem sap collected from mid regions of stems was unusually low in potassium and phosphate relative to chloride and sulphate in comparison with phloem sap of other species, and its low potassium: sodium ratio relative to xylem indicated poor discrimination against sodium during phloem loading. Data are discussed in relation to the asynchronous seasonal cycles of nutrient uptake and shoot growth.     

Effects of Local Nitrogen Supply on Water Uptake of Bean Plants in a Split Root System

To study the effects of local nitrogen supply on water and nutrient absorption, French bean （Phaseolus vulgaris L.） plants were grown in a split root system. Five treatments supplied with different nitrogen forms were compared： homogeneous nitrate （NN） and homogenous ammonium （AA） supply, spatially separated supply of nitrate and ammonium （NA）, half of the root system supplied with N-free nutrient solution, the other half with either nitrate （NO） or ammonium （AO）. The results showed that 10 d after onset of treatments, root dry matter （DM） in the nitratesupplied vessels treated with NA was more than two times higher than that in the ammonium-supplied vessels. Water uptake from the nitrate-supplied vessels treated with NA was 281% higher than under ammonium supply. In treatments NO and AO, the local supply of N resulted in clearly higher root DM, and water uptake from the nitratesupplied vessels was 82% higher than in the -N vessels. However, in AO plants, water uptake from the -N nutrient solution was 129% higher than from the ammonium-supplied vessels. This indicates a compensatory effect, which resulted in almost identical rates of total water uptake of treatments AA and AO, which had comparable shoot DM and leaf area. Ammonium supply reduced potassium and magnesium absorption. Water uptake was positively correlated with N, Mg and K uptake.     

Regulation of root water uptake under abiotic stress conditions

A common effect of several abiotic stresses is to cause tissue dehydration. Such dehydration is caused by the imbalance between root water uptake and leaf transpiration. Under some specific stress conditions, regulation of root water uptake is more crucial to overcome stress injury than regulation of leaf transpiration. This review first describes present knowledge about how water is taken up by roots and then discusses how specific stress situations such as drought, salinity, low temperature, and flooding modify root water uptake. The rate of root water uptake of a given plant is the result of its root hydraulic characteristics, which are ultimately regulated by aquaporin activity and, to some extent, by suberin deposition. Present knowledge about the effects of different stresses on these features is also summarized. Finally, current findings regarding how molecular signals such as the plant hormones abscisic acid, ethylene, and salicylic acid, and how reactive oxygen species may modulate the final response of root water uptake under stress conditions are discussed.     

供钾水平对苹果砧木M9T337幼苗生长、光合特性与15N、13C吸收利用的影响

以苹果M9T337幼苗为试材进行水培试验,采用¹⁵N和¹³C同位素示踪技术,研究不同供钾水平(0、3、6、9、12 mmol·L^-1,分别以K₀、K₁、K₂、K₃、K₄表示)对M9T337幼苗生长、光合特性与¹⁵N、¹³C吸收利用的影响.结果表明: K₂处理M9T337幼苗各器官干质量、根系长度、根系表面积、根尖数和根系活力均显著高于其他处理.叶片净光合速率(P_n)随着供钾水平的升高先上升后下降,在K₂处理时达到最高值,为15.5 μmol CO₂·m^-2·s^-1.处理30 d后,硝酸还原酶(NR)和碳代谢酶活性均以K₂处理最高,K₀处理最低.随着供钾水平的提高,各处理幼苗的¹³C积累量呈先升高后降低的趋势,且在K₂处理时各器官¹³C分配率最均衡.各处理间¹⁵N吸收量和利用率差异显著,K₂处理下幼苗的¹⁵N吸收量和利用率最高,分别为16.11 mg和17.9％,是K₀处理的3.0倍.因此,钾素供应过低或过高均抑制幼苗根系生长和叶片光合作用,不利于植株碳氮吸收,而适宜的钾素供应水平可以提高根系活力和净光合速率,增强硝酸还原酶(NR)和碳代谢酶活性,从而促进碳氮代谢.     

Growth and water-use efficiency of 10 Triticum aestivum cultivars at different water availability in relation to allocation of biomass

In environments where the amount of water is limiting growth, water-use efficiency (biomass production per unit water use) is an important trait. We studied the relationships of plant growth and water use efficiency with the pattern of biomass allocation, using 10 wheat cultivars, grown at two soil moisture levels in a growth chamber. Allocation pattern and relative growth rate were not correlated, whereas allocation pattern and water use efficiency were. Variation in transpiration per plant resulted from variation in the rate of transpiration per unit leaf area or root weight, rather than from differences in leaf area or root weight per plant. Transpiration per unit leaf area or root weight was lower when the leaf area or root weight per unit plant weight was larger. Also, the efficiency of water use at the plant and leaf levels was higher for plants with a higher leaf area per unit plant weight, and it was not correlated with the plant's growth rate. Differences in water-use efficiency at the leaf level were related to variation in stomatal conductance, rather than in the rate of photosynthesis. A high photosynthetic water-use efficiency was associated with a low efficiency of nitrogen use for photosynthesis.     

Cultivar differences in the rate of nitrate uptake by intact wheat plants as related to growth rate

Six Argentinian wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars grown in nutrient solutions in controlled environment were compared for their nitrate uptake rates on a root dry weight basis. Up to 3-fold differences were observed among the cultivars at 16, 20 and 24 days from germination, either when measured by depletion from the nutrient solution in short-term experiments, or by total N accumulation in the tissue during 8 days.
No differences in total N concentration in root or shoots were found among cultivars. Although the different cultivars showed significant differences in shoot/root ratio and nitrate reductase activity (EC 1.6.6.1) in the roots, none of these parameters was correlated with the nitrate uptake rate. However, nitrate uptake was found to be positively correlated (r = 0.99) with the shoot relative growth rate of the cultivars. The three cultivars with the highest nitrate uptake rates and relative growth rates showed a positive correlation between root nitrate concentration and uptake. However, this correlation was not found in the cultivars with the lowest growth and uptake rates.
Our results indicate that the difference in nitrate uptake rate among these cultivars may only be a consequence of their differences in growth rate, and it is suggested that at least two mechanisms regulate nitrate uptake, one working when plant demand is low and another when plant demand is high.     

Effect of water stress on leaf and root growth,and water uptake ofGmelina arborea ROXB. seedlings

Young seedlings ofGmelina arborea Roxb. were subjected to 2 weeks of drought. Despite the gradual reduction in stomatal conductance, leaf and root growth was not affected until the later part of the stress period. This was attributed to solute adjustment in the roots of the plants. As the severity of water stress increased, root growth was prolific in all the soil segments. As a result, water in the lowest soil segment was used to maintain plant turgor, which in turn sustains the leaf and root growth during the water-stress treatment. The influence of soil water content and soil water potential upon soil water uptake rate was also evaluated on soil profile basis. Rates of extraction began to decline in all soil segments as soon as soil water potential fell below -0.06 MPa, presumably as a result of vapour gaps between the root and soil (root: soil interface resistance). It is suggested that the growth of roots ofGmelina plants away from drying soil will minimize the resistance to water uptake.     

The response of sorghum and sunflower to short-term waterlogging

Summary The effect of waterlogging on water use and nutrient uptake in sunflower and sorghum was investigated in relation to stage of development of the crops and the timing and duration of waterlogging. Waterlogging at the vegetative and floral initiation stages of plant growth induced a reduction in water use of sunflower, with corresponding declines in leaf expansion and leaf water potential; in sorghum, the transpiration rates were much lower than for sunflower and relatively unaffected by waterlogging. Waterlogging at anthesis, however, caused an immediate reduction in water use in sunflower with a similar but delayed effect in sorghum. The differences in response of these two species are discussed in relation to the relative importance of water stress and nutrient uptake. Plant analysis at maturity indicated that waterlogging at any growth stage reduced both total and seed phosphorus in sunflower; similar effects were recorded with sorghum, with the exception of anthesis waterlogging which did not reduce nutrient uptake. Waterlogging effects on plant potassium levels were variable.     

A comparison of ammoniacal and nitrate nutrition of perennial ryegrass through a thermodynamic model

The energetics of the assimilation of nitrogen by perennial ryegrass has been studied through a therodynamic model. On a basis of equal amounts of carbohydrate consumed during assimilation, the nitrate form was found to need only 8% more energy than the ammoniacal form. Protonic exchange has been invoked to explain ionic transferences through root membranes, including cases where preferential uptake of metabolically active elemelents produced anion to cation imbalance. The model was also used to draw up a balance sheet for a given amount of metabolised carbohydrate; from this sheet it appeared that in comparison with nitrate nutrition ammoniacal nutrition needed more oxygen and produced more water. The implication of these findings is discussed in relation to shortterm fertiliser and liming trials and in relation to long-term conditions in ecosystems at an ecological climax.     

Water uptake profile response of corn to soil moisture depletion

The effects of soil moisture distribution on water uptake of drip‐irrigated corn were investigated by simultaneously monitoring the diurnal evolution of sap flow rate in stems, of leaf water potential, and of soil moisture, during intervals between successive irrigations. The results invalidate the steady‐state resistive flow model for the continuum. High hydraulic capacitance of wet soil and low hydraulic conductivity of dry soil surrounding the roots damped significantly diurnal fluctuations of water flow from bulk soil to root surface. By contrast, sap flow responded directly to the large diurnal variation of leaf water potential. In wet soil, the relation between the diurnal courses of uptake rates and leaf water potential was linear. Water potential at the root surface remained nearly constant and uniformly distributed. The slope of the lines allowed calculating the resistance of the hydraulic path in the plant. Resistances increased in inverse relation with root length density. Soil desiccation induced a diurnal variation of water potential at the root surface, the minimum occurring in the late afternoon. The increase of root surface water potential with depth was directly linked to the soil desiccation profile. The development of a water potential gradient at the root surface implies the presence of a significant axial resistance in the root hydraulic path that explains why the desiccation of the soil upper layer induces an absolute increase of water uptake rates from the deeper wet layers.     

Relationships between root morphology and nitrogen availability in a recent theoretical model describing nitrogen uptake from soil

Abstract. The effect upon potential maximum nitrogen uptake rate of root morphology and nitrogen availability in soil was investigated using a simple nutrient transport model. Parameter values appropriate to an ecological or an agricultural context were introduced from the literature. The model predicted that the maximum uptake rate of nitrate was morphology-dependent only at extremely low concentrations. For ammonium, this was so for all realistic concentrations, assuming a high potential maximum uptake rate. The important concentration range for ammonium was two orders of magnitude greater than that for nitrate. With a lower potential maximum uptake rate of ammonium, root morphology was important below 15/igNg' soil, the concentration range in this case being a single order of magnitude greater than that for nitrate. The effects of root hairs were to decrease the threshold concentration for morphology-dependence, and to minimize root dry weight per unit volume of soil needed to maintain maximum nitrogen uptake rate. The effects of simultaneous mass flow of solution were negligible. The possible significance of these effects upon plant growth are discussed in relation to nitrogen availability.     

Drought-induced root aerenchyma formation restricts water uptake in rice seedlings supplied with nitrate

Previous studies demonstrated that ammonium nutrition results in higher water uptake rate than does nitrate nutrition under water stress, and thus enhances the tolerance of rice plants to water stress. However, the process by which water uptake is related to nitrogen form under water stress remains unknown. A hydroponic experiment with simulated water stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG6000) was conducted in a greenhouse to study the relationship between root aerenchyma formation and water uptake rate, such as xylem sap flow rate and hydraulic conductance, in two different rice cultivars (cv. 'Shanyou 63' hybrid indica and cv. 'Yangdao 6' indica, China). The results showed that root aerenchyma tissue increased in water-stressed plants of both cultivars fed by nitrate. No significant difference was found in root hydraulic conductivity and/or xylem sap flow rate between the two rice cultivars fed by ammonium regardless of water status, whereas these parameters decreased significantly in water-stressed plants fed by nitrate. It was concluded that aerenchyma that formed in the root cortex impeded the radial transport of water in the root cylinder and decreased water uptake in water-stressed rice plants fed by nitrate. Water transport occurred mainly through Hg-sensitive water channels in rice roots supplied with ammonium.     

Repeated insect defoliation effects on growth, nitrogen acquisition, carbohydrates, and root demography of poplars

Large-scale outbreaks of defoliating insects are common in temperate forests. The effects of defoliation on tree physiology are expected to cascade through the entire forest ecosystem, altering carbon, nitrogen, and water fluxes, and subsequently affecting nitrogen cycling and plant-herbivore interactions. If these post-defoliation changes are largely driven by N deficiency, tree root system responses to defoliation should be central to regulating the long-term effects of defoliation; N fertilization should reverse the effects. We examined these phenomena in a 3-year large-scale replicated manipulative field experiment in a hybrid poplar plantation, where we regulated defoliation by gypsy moths as well as nitrogen availability. To our knowledge, this is the first manipulative field experiment at this scale to examine the effects of severe insect defoliation on whole-tree physiology. Defoliation decreased tree growth and increased the rate of top dieback in the stand. Defoliation led to transient declines in carbon allocation to starch in fine roots, trunk, and twigs in the year of heaviest defoliation. Root production and root mortality were unaffected by the heaviest defoliation, but nitrate and ammonium uptake were strongly depressed. N fertilization increased tree growth, but did not alter defoliation effects on starch accumulation or top dieback. Defoliation and fertilization treatments did not interact. In this system, defoliation effects on tree recovery of leaf nitrogen lost to herbivory were primarily driven by effects on nitrogen uptake, rather than effects on root production or mortality.