内蒙古草地叶片磷含量与土壤有效磷的关系

植物体内特别是叶片的P含量特征及其与环境的关系一直是植物生理生态学研究的一个热点。已有研究发现, 与全球植物数据相比, 中国植物叶片的P含量相对较低, 导致N/P高于全球平均水平, 并推测这是由于中国土壤全P含量较低引起的。该研究选取内蒙古草地来验证这一假设, 分析了36个样地57种优势植物叶片的P含量与土壤全P和有效P含量的关系。主要结果如下: 内蒙古草地叶片P含量较低而N/P较高, 与之前的研究结论一致; 在种群、样地和物种3个水平上, 叶片P含量、N/P与土壤P含量都没有显著的相关关系, 尽管土壤有效P含量的解释力高于土壤全P; 另一方面, 内蒙古草地土壤的有效P含量与全国土壤普查的结果接近, 高于美国及澳大利亚的平均值, 但低于世界土壤信息库里报道的全球土壤有效P平均值。鉴于内蒙古草地土壤的全P和有效P含量都不能准确反映叶片P含量, 且土壤的有效P含量也并不明显低于世界其他地区, 因此植物叶片P含量低、N/P高是由于土壤P含量低引起的这一假设在内蒙古草地不成立, 而且叶片P含量也与土壤P的可利用性无关。     

Relationship between tolerance and accumulation characteristics of cadmium in higher plants

Ten plant species belonging to 5 families,i.e., Cruciferae, Cucurbitaceae, Gramineae, Leguminosae, and Solanaceae, were grown in a sand soil at two pH levels. The soil was subjected to an application of CdCl₂ at rates of 0 to 700 mgCd·kg⁻¹ soil. The relationship between Cd concentration in the shoots (tc) and soil (sc; NH₄NO₃ extractable) was expressed by the equation: log (tc)=α+βlog (sc). The coefficients α and β were estimated for each species at each level of soil pH. Plottings of the scores on α and β axes showed that the Cd accumulation characteristics in the plants appeared to depend on the families irrespective of soil pH. Based on theupper critical concentration of Cd in the tops (C_t), the Cruciferae and Leguminosae species were found to be the most and the least tolerant to Cd, respectively. The C_t values correlated exceedingly well with the values of α.     

A simple diffusion test for soil phosphorus availability

The availability of phosphorus to plants was estimated by a new method based on the diffusion of P from a thin layer of water-saturated stationary soil to a disc of iron oxide coated filter paper. Twenty-one acid Finnish soil samples were tested using four modifications of the method which differed in the duration of the diffusion time and in the thickness of the soil layer. The new diffusion tests were compared with other soil P testing methods and evaluated as indicators of the availability of P to pot-grown barley and oats. Close linear correlations were found between the initial (18 or 42 h) P diffusion rate and the water extractable P contents determined at the extraction ratios of 1:10 and 1:60, respectively (r=0.97–0.99). The amounts of P obtained by the new method were small when the diffusion time was short, but after prolonged diffusion (1 week) the test values were close to the amounts of P taken up by plants. The relationships of plant yield and P uptake with soil P test values were affected by soil acidity. Although the original soil P test values were significantly correlated, the accuracy of all methods drastically improved when the interfering effect of soil acidity was taken into account using a simple pH-correction model. The correlation coefficients (r) between the test values of diffusible P in soil and the uptake of P by plants increased up to 0.97.     

The response ofAzolla pinnata R. Brown to the split application of phosphorus and the transfer of assimilated phosphorus to flooded rice plants

A field experiment was conducted at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Joydebpur, Dhaka during the late wet season. Basal application of P at both 5 and 10 kg ha⁻¹ significantly increased total biomass production and nitrogen fixation byAzolla pinnata R. Brown (local strain). Addition of both 5 and 10 kg P ha⁻¹ in equal splits at inoculation and at six day intervals thereafter during growth periods of 12, 24 and 36 days increased biomass production and nitrogen fixation by Azolla over that attained with the basal application. Biomass and nitrogen fixation using a split application of 5 kg P ha⁻¹ exceeded that attained with basal application of 10 kg P ha⁻¹ and split application of 10 kg P ha⁻¹ resulted in 0.58, 11.2, and 18.3 t ha⁻¹ more biomass, and 0.47, 18.9, and 18.3 more kg fixed N ha⁻¹ at 12, 24 and 36 days, respectively, than the same amount applied as a basal application. Analyses indicated that the critical level of dry weight P in Azolla for sustained growth was in the range of 0.15–0.17%. Compared with the control, where no P was added, and additional 30 and 36 kg N ha⁻¹ were fixed after 24 and 36 days, respectively, when P was provided at 10 kg ha⁻¹ using a split application. A separate field study showed that flooded rice plants received P from incorporated Azolla with about 28% of the P present in the supplied Azolla being incorporated into the rice plants.     

Uptake of phosphate from soils and fertilizers as affected by soil P availability and solubility of phosphorus fertilizers

Fertilizers labelled with ³²P were used to measure amounts of phosphorus, P_s and P_F, taken up by Lolium perenne from available soil P and from P fertilizer respectively, when applied at a rate of 66 mg P·(kg soil^–1) in greenhouse experiments. The quantity P_s of phosphorus taken up from soil in the presence of P fertilizer was compared to the quantity P_o taken up from soil without P fertilizer. The quantity (P_s–P_o) is positive for low P_o values, i.e. in soils poor in available phosphorus, but is negative for high P_o values indicating that an input of P fertilizer can induce a decrease in the utilization of available soil phosphorus. Moreover, for a given soil, the quantity (P_s–P_o) depends on the chemical form of the fertilizer. The standard method of evaluation of P fertilizer efficiency is based on the assumption that P_s=P_o, but P_s can differ from P_o. This result can explain the contradictory data published from field experiments about the efficiency of the various P fertilizers.     

Allocation of carbon in a mature eucalypt forest and some effects of soil phosphorus availability

Pools and annual fluxes of carbon (C) were estimated for a mature Eucalyptus pauciflora (snowgum) forest with and without phosphorus (P) fertilizer addition to determine the effect of soil P availability on allocation of C in the stand. Aboveground biomass was estimated from allometric equations relating stem and branch diameters of individual trees to their biomass. Biomass production was calculated from annual increments in tree diameters and measurements of litterfall. Maintenance and construction respiration were calculated for each component using equations given by Ryan (1991a). Total belowground C flux was estimated from measurements of annual soil CO₂ efflux less the C content of annual litterfall (assuming forest floor and soil C were at approximate steady state for the year that soil CO₂ efflux was measured). The total C content of the standing biomass of the unfertilized stand was 138 t ha^-1, with approximately 80% aboveground and 20% belowground. Forest floor C was 8.5 t ha^-1. Soil C content (0–1 m) was 369 t ha^-1 representing 70% of the total C pool in the ecosystem. Total gross annual C flux aboveground (biomass increment plus litterfall plus respiration) was 11.9 t ha^-1 and gross flux belowground (coarse root increment plus fine root production plus root respiration) was 5.1 t ha^-1. Total annual soil efflux was 7.1 t ha^-1, of which 2.5 t ha^-1 (35%) was contributed by litter decomposition.The short-term effect of changing the availability of P compared with C on allocation to aboveground versus belowground processes was estimated by comparing fertilized and unfertilized stands during the year after treatment. In the P-fertilized stand annual wood biomass increment increased by 30%, there was no evidence of change in canopy biomass, and belowground C allocation decreased by 19% relative to the unfertilized stand. Total annual C flux was 16.97 and 16.75 t ha^-1 yr^-1 and the ratio of below- to aboveground C allocation was 0.43 and 0.35 in the unfertilized and P-fertilized stands, respectively. Therefore, the major response of the forest stand to increased soil P availability appeared to be a shift in C allocation; with little change in total productivity. These results emphasise that both growth rate and allocation need to be estimated to predict changes in fluxes and storage of C in forests that may occur in response to disturbance or climate change.     

Nodulation and nitrogen accretion response of Cercocarpus betuloides seedlings to phosphorus supplementation and water availability

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effect of phosphorus (P) supplementation and water availability on incidence of nodulation and nitrogen (N) fixation by Cercocarpus betuloides seedlings. Phosphorus supplementation resulted in a two-fold increase in shoot and total dry matter of seedlings grown in a P-deficient soil. Seedlings grown in P-supplemented soil supported a larger number (4.8 vs. 0.3) and fresh mass (0.179 vs. 0.009 g) of nodules than did controls. Nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction), N concentration and N accretion were greater for seedlings grown in P-amended soil than for controls.Seedlings were grown at four soil water potentials –0.1, –0.2, –0.4, and –0.7 MPa for 214 days. Biomass production, nodulation, acetylene reduction activity and N accretion were greatest at –0.2 MPa and declined at higher and lower soil water potentials. Independently-measured dependent variables were highly correlated, suggesting that water availability was influencing a primary plant process, most likely photosynthesis, on which other plant processes are dependent.     

Physiological responses of carbon-sequestering microalgae to elevated carbon regimes

In order to identify a high carbon-sequestering microalgal strain, the physiological effect of different concentrations of carbon sources on microalgae growth was investigated. Five indigenous strains (I-1, I-2, I-3, I-4 and I-5) and a reference strain (I-0: Coccolithus pelagicus 913/3) were subjected to CO₂ concentrations of 0.03–15% and NaHCO₃ of 0.05–2 g CO₂ l^–1. The logistic model was applied for data fitting, as well as for estimation of the maximum growth rate (μ_max) and the biomass carrying capacity (B_max). Amongst the five indigenous strains, I-3 was similar to the reference strain with regards to biomass production values. The B_max of I-3 significantly increased from 214 to 828 mg l^–1 when CO₂ concentration was increased from 0.03 to 15% (r = 0.955, P = 0.012). Additionally, the B_max of I-3 increased with increasing NaHCO₃ (r = 0.885, P = 0.046) and was recorded at 153 mg l^–1 (at 0.05 g CO₂ l^–1) and 774 mg l^–1 at (2 g CO₂ l^–1). Relative electron transport rate (rETR) and maximum quantum yield (F_v/F_m) were also applied to assess the impact of elevated carbon sources on the microalgal cells at the physiological level. Isolate I-3 displayed the highest rETR confirming its tolerance to higher quantities of carbon. Additionally, the decline in F_v/F_m with increasing carbon was similar for strains I-3 and the reference strain. Based on partial 28s ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, strain I-3 was homologous to the ribosomal genes of Chlorella sp.     

Interaction between aluminium and phosphorus in sorghum plants

A solution culture experiment was carried out to study the effects of interactions between aluminium (Al) and phosphorus (P) on Al-toxicity under conditions of suboptimal P supply. The experiment was conducted in a growth chamber with seedlings of the Al-sensitive sorghum genotype TAM428 (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Phosphorus deficiency differed from Al toxicity in its effect on shoot/root ratio and root morphological charateristics. Results indicated that there were positive effects of Al on the uptake and assimilation of P. Therefore, it was unlikely that an Al-induced P deficiency could account for the observed reduction in plant biomass. Plants suffered more from Al toxicity at very low P supply. Moreover, decreasing P supply resulted in increased root H-ion efflux density. In the soil, where a rhizosphere can be formed, this would make the plant even more susceptible to Al. Dry matter yield of the plants was affected more severely by Al at the first harvest (14 days) than at the second (35 days), but the opposite was true for P. Aluminium-inhibited root development and reduced uptake of N, K and Mg (but not Ca) may be partly responsible for the growth depression. Increasing the P supply exerted certain roles in eliminating Al phytotoxicity, possibly through improved root development and nutrient uptake. The detrimental influence of Al on biomass could be overcome by doubling the P supply.     

Relationship of cellular phosphorus in the cyanobacterium Nodularia to phosphorus availability in the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System

A laboratory-determined critical concentration of phosphorus in the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena was used to assess the phosphorus sufficiency of field populations in the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System, Western Australia. Nutrient addition bioassays indicated that phosphorus was the limiting nutrient. Since river flow, and thus phosphorus input, to the estuary ceases 1–2 months before the onset of Nodularia blooms, the phosphorus contained in these blooms was derived from sediment release and nutrient recycling. A progressive increase in the mean cellular phosphorus concentration of Nodularia from 1981 to 1983 indicated that sediments were releasing a greater amount of phophorus each year. Although evidence suggests that the biomass of recent Nodularia blooms is now limited by physical factors, the additional phosphorus contained in each bloom will increase the supply of phosphorus to other organisms. Cellular phosphorus concentrations in Nodularia appeared to be correlated with river phosphorus loadings in the Peel Inlet but not in the Harvey Estuary.     

Relationship between allocation of absorbed light energy in PSII and photosynthetic rates of C3 and C4 plants

Two C₃ dicotyledonous crops and five C₄ monocotyledons treated with three levels of nitrogen were used to evaluate quantitatively the relationship between the allocation of absorbed light energy in PSII and photosynthetic rates (P _N) in a warm condition (25–26°C) at four to five levels [200, 400, 800, 1,200 (both C₃ and C₄) and 2,000 (C₄ only) μmol m⁻² s⁻¹] of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). For plants of the same type (C₃ or C₄), there was a linear positive correlation between the fraction of absorbed light energy that was utilized in PSII photochemistry (P) and P _N, regardless of the broad range of their photosynthetic rates due to species-specific effect and/or nitrogen application; meanwhile, the fraction of absorbed light energy that was dissipated through non-photochemical quenching (D) showed a negative linear regression with P _N for each level of PPFD. The intercept of regression lines between P and P _N of C₃ and C₄ plants decreased, and that between D and P _N increased with increasing PPFD. With P and D as the main components of energy dissipation and complementary to each other, the fraction of excess absorbed light energy (E) was unchanged by P _N under the same level of PPFD. At the same level of P _N, C₄ plants had lower P and higher D than C₃ plants, due to the fact that C₄ plants with little or no photorespiration is considered a limited energy sink for electrons. Nevertheless there was a significant negative linear correlation between D and P when data from both C₃ and C₄ plants at varied PPFD levels was merged. The slope of regression lines between P and D was 0.85, indicating that in plants of both types, most of the unnecessary absorbed energy (ca. 85%) could dissipate through non-photochemical quenching, when P was inhibited by low P _N due to species-specific effect and nitrogen limitation at all levels of illumination used in the experiment.     

土壤磷含量与有效性对N2O排放量的影响元分析

土壤氧化亚氮(N₂O)主要产生于土壤微生物参与的氮循环过程,其排放量受磷含量及有效性影响。添加磷肥有助于缓解陆地生态系统磷限制,提升土壤有效磷含量,进一步影响土壤微生物对氮的利用,同时控制N₂O排放。然而不同独立实验中N₂O对外源磷添加的响应差异较大。研究从发表的中、英文文献中收集了54份关于施用磷肥与N₂O排放量的观测结果,采用元分析方法确定添加外源磷后N₂O排放量的响应差异及潜在影响因素。结果表明：(1)外源磷添加对土壤N₂O排放量影响不显著;但在磷肥施用量> 50 kg P/hm²的室外实验中土壤N₂O排放量显著降低了32.5%;施用NaH₂PO₄的室内实验中N₂O排放量显著降低了18.4%。(2)土壤N₂O对外源磷添加响应的高变异性是磷肥施用量和土壤含水量、土壤pH、土地利用类型、磷肥种类、纬度和实验时间多种影响...     

Above- and belowground response of Populus grandidentata to elevated atmospheric CO2 and soil N availability

Soil N availability may play an important role in regulating the long-term responses of plants to rising atmospheric CO₂ partial pressure. To further examine the linkage between above- and belowground C and N cycles at elevated CO₂, we grew clonally propagated cuttings of Populus grandidentata in the field at ambient and twice ambient CO₂ in open bottom root boxes filled with organic matter poor native soil. Nitrogen was added to all root boxes at a rate equivalent to net N mineralization in local dry oak forests. Nitrogen added during August was enriched with ¹⁵N to trace the flux of N within the plant-soil system. Above-and belowground growth, CO₂ assimilation, and leaf N content were measured non-destructively over 142 d. After final destructive harvest, roots, stems, and leaves were analyzed for total N and ¹⁵N. There was no CO₂ treatment effect on leaf area, root length, or net assimilation prior to the completion of N addition. Following the N addition, leaf N content increased in both CO₂ treatments, but net assimilation showed a sustained increase only in elevated CO₂ grown plants. Root relative extension rate was greater at elevated CO₂, both before and after the N addition. Although final root biomass was greater at elevated CO₂, there was no CO₂ effect on plant N uptake or allocation. While low soil N availability severely inhibited CO₂ responses, high CO₂ grown plants were more responsive to N. This differential behavior must be considered in light of the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of soil resources, particularly N which often limits plant growth in temperate forests.     

Uptake kinetics and assimilation of phosphorus byCatenella nipaeandUlva lactucacan be used to indicate ambient phosphate availability

Uptake, assimilation and compartmentation of phosphate were studied in the opportunist green macroalgaUlva lactucaand the estuarine red algal epiphyteCatenella nipae. The Michaelis–Menten model was used to describe uptake rates of inorganic phosphate (P_i) at different concentrations. Maximum uptake rates (V _max) of P-starved material exceededV _maxof P-enriched material; this difference was greater forC. nipae. Uptake and allocation of phosphorus (P) to internal pools was measured using trichloroacetic acid (TCA) extracts and³²P. Both species demonstrated similar assimilation paths: when P-enriched, most³²P accumulated as free phosphate. When unenriched,³²P was rapidly assimilated into the TCA-insoluble pool.C. nipaeconsistently assimilated more³²P into this pool thanU. lactuca, indicatingC. nipaehas a greater P-storage capacity. In both species,³²P release data showed two internal compartments with very different biological half-lives. The rapidly exchanging compartment had a short half-life of 2 to 12 min, while the slowly exchanging compartment had a much longer half-life of 12 days in P-starvedC. nipaeor 4 days in P-starvedU. lactuca. In both species, the slowly exchanging compartment accounted for more than 90% of total tissue.U. lactucaandC. nipaeresponded differently to high external P_i.U. lactucarapidly took up P_i, transferring this P_iinto tissue phosphate and TCA-soluble P in a few hours (90% of total P).C. nipaetook up P_iat lower rates and stored much of this P in less mobile TCA-insoluble forms. Long-term storage of refractory forms of P makesC. nipaea useful bioindicator of the prevailing conditions of P_iavailability over at least the previous 7 days, whereas the P-status ofU.lactucamay reflect conditions over no more than the previous few hours or days.C. nipaeis a more useful bioindicator for P status of estuarine and marine waters thanU. lactuca.     

The growth and phosphorus utilisation of plants in sterile media when supplied with inositol hexaphosphate, glucose 1-phosphate or inorganic phosphate

Seedlings of six temperate pasture species, three grasses and three legumes, were grown for 19–24 days in sterile agar or sand-vermiculite media, in the presence of inorganic phosphate (P_i), glucose 1-phosphate (G1P) or inositol hexaphosphate (IHP). Agar (pH 5.0) had a low IHP-sorbing capacity while IHP was almost completely sorbed in sand-vermiculite. P_i and G1P were relatively available in both media. Growth of each species was measured in relation to phosphorus (P) supply and levels of P_i supply at which shoot yields reached 90% of maximum yield (P_crit) were determined. P_crit values were generally higher for the legume species than for the grasses, and were six-fold higher for Trifolium subterraneum L. seedlings when grown in sand-vermiculite relative to agar. When supplied with G1P, seedlings of the six species grew as well as plants supplied with P_i. By contrast, IHP was a poor source of P for plant growth, even when supplied in agar at levels up to 40-fold greater than P_crit. Using the growth of T. subterraneum in the presence of IHP, it was calculated that roots released approximately 0.09 nkat phytase g^-1 root dry wt per day, over 20 days of growth. By supplementing agar containing IHP with phytase from Aspergillus niger (E.C. 3.1.3.8; 0.012 nkat plant^-1, or _∼1.3 nkat g^-1 root dry wt), sufficient P became available to enable T. subterraneum seedlings to grow as well as P_i-supplied plants. These results indicate that while pasture plants can quite effectively use P from some organic P sources (e.g. G1P), the acquisition of phytate-P is limited both by availability of substrate and the capacity of plant roots to hydrolyse available IHP. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Utilization of organic phosphorus in calcium chloride extracts of soil by barley plants and hydrolysis by acid and alkaline phosphatases

Organic phosphorus is often a major part of total phosphorus in soil solution. The role of this fraction as a P source for plants and the mechanism involved in its transfer from soil to plant is still unclear. We studied the utilization of organic phospharus in 0.01 M calcium chloride extracts by barley and its hydrolysis by isolated acid and alkaline phosphatases. Calcium chloride extracts were used as a nutrient solution in 24 hrs assays. Concentration of organic and inorganic P in equilibrium calcium chloride extracts was 7.8 and 1.8 µmol P L^-1, respectively, which was similar to the soil solution P concentration. When soil microbial biomass was destroyed by autoclaving, organic P concentration increased to 64.8 µmol P L^-1 whereas the inorganic P was hardly changed. Inoculation of the autoclaved soil with non-sterile soil and incubation for 5 days decreased the organic P concentration to 27.9 µmol P L^-1 but did not change inorganic P. In this study barley plants utilized organic P from all extracts. The greatest reduction of organic P concentration occurred in fresh extracts of the autoclaved soil. Inorganic P was depleted to traces in all extracts. Organic P was hydrolyzed by isolated acid and alkaline phosphatases. We conclude that organic P in soil solution is a heterogeneous pool of organic P compounds originating from microbial biomass. Its initial availability to plants was nigh but its susceptibility to phosphatase hydrolysis was quickly reduced but not completely lost.     

Relationship between availability indices and plant uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus from organic products

A better knowledge of the plant-availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in organic products may help to improve the efficient use of these products as fertilizers. In the present study, availability indices for N and P of nine widely differing organic products obtained by different fractionation methods were compared with the plant uptake of N and P from these products. The fractionation methods included CaCl₂ extraction, thermal fractionation (heating of organic products), and pepsin extraction, for N, and extraction with diluted sulphuric acid, P-Bray-I, P-Olsen, and extraction using an iron oxide coated filter paper, for P. The results of pot experiments with ryegrass using a double-pot technique (Janssen, 1990) over 62 (N experiment) and 93 days (P experiment) were used as reference for plant-availabe N and P. The 0.01 M CaCl₂ extractable inorganic N reasonably predicted plant-available N only in organic products with a high inorganic N fraction. Thermal fractionation and pepsin extraction provided a reasonable index for mineralizable N in organic products having a high fraction of mineralizable N. Of the P fractionation methods, the extraction using iron oxide coated filter paper was the best indicator of plant-available P in the products.     

Sex-specifically responsive strategies to phosphorus availability combined with different soil nitrogen forms in dioecious Populus cathayana

雌雄青杨不同氮形态下性别差异性的磷利用策略 磷的吸收和利用效率对植物生长和产量尤为重要。然而,在不同氮形态下,雌雄异株植物对土壤磷的吸收和利用策略尚不清楚。本论文研究了雌雄青杨(Populus cathayana)在低氮、硝态氮和铵态氮下对 土壤磷的吸收和利用策略。研究结果表明,在较高的土壤供磷条件下,青杨雌株在两种氮形态下较雄株而言,均具有较高的生物量、根长密度、比根长和地上磷含量。此外,在正常供磷条件下,与硝态氮相比,青杨雌株在铵态氮的供应下具有更长的根系、更大的根长密度和比根长,而具有较少的根尖数。相比而言,在低磷条件下,青杨雄株在两种氮形态下均具有较小的根系、较大的叶片光合磷的利用效率以及较高的磷的再转运潜力。而且,青杨雌株在硝态氮条件下与铵态氮相比,具有较高的应对低磷潜力。在低磷条件下,铵态氮下青杨雄株叶片磷的光合利用效率和叶片磷再转运潜力明显高于硝态氮。这些结果表明,在正常供磷条件下,青杨雌株较雄株而言,具有更强的磷吸收能力及较高的生物量,尤其在硝态氮条件下;相比而言,青杨雄株在两种氮形态下较雌株而言,具有更有效的磷的利用效率,从而具有较高的对磷缺乏的忍耐能力。     

Intra-specific variation in growth and P accumulation of Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium as influenced by soil phosphate status

Twenty-three provenances of Gliricidia sepium and eleven isolines of Leucaena leucocephala were examined at a low and at high phosphate levels (20 and 80 mg P kg^-1 soil) for growth, phosphate (P) uptake and use efficiency. Large differences in growth at the low P level, and in growth response to the higher P rate occurred among L. leucocephala isolines and G. sepium provenances. Shoot dry weight at low P varied from 1.30 to 3.01 g plant^-1 for L. leucocephala and from 1.44 to 3.07 g plant^-1 for G. sepium.Leucaena isolines had only half the root weight of G. sepium provenances yet produced approximately 90% of the shoot weight of the corresponding G. sepium treatments, i.e. more than a 2-fold difference in root/shoot ratios. Total P in shoots of G. sepium was some 85% greater than of the respective L. leucocephala isolines in corresponding treatments. Physiological phosphate use efficiency (g shoot/mg P in shoots) (PPUE) was not a simple reciprocal relation, being markedly lower at higher shoot % P and content. However, for the same shoot P both species produced the same shoot weight. Nevertheless, there were apparent genotypic differences within species in the root development, shoot P and PPUE.In another study, the numbers of rhizobia in the rhizosphere of L. leucocephala, nodulation, N₂ fixation at five different levels of P were determined. The numbers of rhizobia in the rhizosphere of inoculated L. leucocephala during the first two weeks were lower when P was added but later became similar to those without added P. Nodules formed earlier than inoculated plants fertilized with P and in greater numbers (4- to 5-fold) and dry weights than in those without P. However, the percentage of N₂ derived from fixation did not change with increasing levels of P application. These results suggest that the observed P effect did not operate via stimulated growth of rhizobia in the rhizosphere, nor through increased N₂ fixation rate. The major effect appeared to be due to effects via plant growth.     

Microbial effects in maintaining organic and inorganic solution phosphorus concentrations in a grassland topsoil

Replenishment of soil solution organic and inorganic P in a sterile and nonsterile grassland soil amended with 0 and 235 kg P ha^–1 for 13 consecutive years was investigated in a recirculating column system. In sterilized treatments, P liberated from soil biomass, initially increased solution organic and inorganic P concentrations to about 0.3 and 0.6 g P cm^–3 in the 0 and 235 kg P treatment, respectively. Sterilization effects were larger than the residual fertilizer effect. Subsequently, in sterilized treatments were microbial activity was lacking, removal of solution P over the duration of the experiment reduced organic P concentration to the detection limit (0.001 g P cm^–3). Organic P concentrations in the nonsterile treatment were maintained at about 0.015 g P cm^–3 which was higher than inorganic P concentration. Inorganic P concentrations were about 0.002 and 0.008 g P cm^–3 in the nonfertilized and the fertilized treatment, respectively. Inorganic P buffer power was greater in the nonsterile treatments, but abiotic buffering alone could not account for the measured inorganic P concentrations found during desorption. It was concluded that biomass P is a major factor controlling organic and inorganic P solution concentrations in this systems.