Localized supply of phosphorus induces root morphological and architectural changes of rice in split and stratified soil cultures

A localized supply of phosphorus may affect root morphology and architecture, and thereby affect phosphorus uptake by rice plants. In the present study, we attempted to test this hypothesis using two rice cultivars representing upland and lowland ecotypes grown in specially designed split and stratified soil cultures with a low-phosphorus red soil. Our data indicate that a localized supply of phosphorus increased both total root length and root fineness, particularly in the high-phosphorus zone. In split culture, plants roots tended to preferentially grow on the high-phosphorus zone, with about 70–75% of the total root length allocated to the high-phosphorus compartment. The total root length on the high-phosphorus side in the split-phosphorus treatment was significantly longer than that in the homogenously high-phosphorus treatment, implying that a phosphorus-deficiency signal from the low-phosphorus side may stimulate the growth of the roots located in the high-phosphorus zone. In stratified soil culture, changes in root morphology and architecture were also observed as indicated by increased total root length, root fineness and relative root allocation in the high-phosphorus layers, again suggesting altered root morphology and preferential root proliferation in the high-phosphorus regions. The induced changes in root morphology and architecture by localized phosphorus supply may have both physiological significance and practical implications in that plants can meet the demand for phosphorus with parts of the roots reaching the high-phosphorus zone, hence localized fertilization methods such as side dressing or banded application of phosphorus fertilizers may both minimize phosphorus fixation by the soil and increase phosphorus uptake efficiency from the fertilizers.     

Stimulation of root hair elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana by low phosphorus availability

Low phosphorus availability stimulates root hair elongation in many plants, which may have adaptive significance in soil phosphorus acquisition. We investigated the effect of low phosphorus on the elongation of Arabidopsis thaliana root hairs. Arabidopsis thaliana plants were grown in plant culture containing high (1000 mmol m^?3) or low (1 mmol m^?3) phosphorus concentrations, and root hair elongation was analysed by image analysis. After 15d of growth, low-phosphorus plants developed root hairs averaging 0.9 mm in length while high-phosphorus plants of the same age developed root hairs averaging 0.3 mm in length. Increased root hair length in low-phosphorus plants was a result of both increased growth duration and increased growth rate. Root hair length decreased logarithmically in response to increasing phosphorus concentration. Local changes in phosphorus availability influenced root hair growth regardless of the phosphorus status of the plant. Low phosphorus stimulated root hair elongation in the hairless axr2 mutant, exogenously applied IAA stimulated root hair elongation in wild-type high-phosphorus plants and the auxin antagonist CM PA inhibited root hair elongation in low-phosphorus plants. These results indicate that auxin may be involved in the low-phosphorus response in root hairs.     

Nutrient content of Abutilon theophrasti seeds and the competitive ability of the resulting plants

Summary Siblings of Abutilon theophrasti, were grown on a nutrient gradient. The plants grown at higher nutrient levels were larger and produced larger and more seeds than plants grown at lower soil nutrient concentrations. There were no differences in germinability of seeds, but the competitive abilities of resulting plants were markedly different.In two different competition experiments designed to eliminate the effects of genotype, seed size, and germination time, by using synchronously germinated seedlings derived from similar size seed from plants grown at different nutrient levels, we found that plants from seeds produced at higher nutrient levels consistently, outperformed plants from seeds produced at the lower nutrient levels. The dominance of seeds produced at higher nutrient levels may be explained by the fact that they had markedly higher concentrations of nitrogen than did seeds produced at lower soil nutrient levels. The additional advantage of increased seed quality to plants controlling more of the nutrient resource than their neighbors would be expected to accelerate their contributions to the gene pool of the population.     

Effects of VA mycorrhiza on yield and harvest index of field-grown pea

Summary A field experiment was carried out to study the influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) on nutrient uptake and growth of pea at two levels of P fertilizer. Pea was grown in dazomet-fumigated and non-fumigated soil, either with or without addition of inoculum of VAM fungi. Dazomet efficiently eliminated infection by indigenous VAM fungi, whereas roots from untreated soil were extensively infected. Inoculation with VAM fungi increased P uptake by peas in fumigated plots, but had no significant effect on dry matter production in either soil treatment. However, VAM developed less in inoculated fumigated than in untreated plots. Seeds of uninfected plants in fumigated plots contained only 56 and 81%, respectively, of the P and dry matter content of seeds of infected plants in untreated plots. The addition of 60 kg P ha⁻¹ also increased seed yields but to a smaller degree than VAM. The seed yield as a proportion of total shoot yield (harvest index) was higher in VAM infected than in uninfected peas but was unaffected by P fertilizer. The possible reasons for this are discussed.     

The efficiency of Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) root hairs in phosphorus acquisition

Arabidopsis thaliana root hairs grow longer and denser in response to low-phosphorus availability. In addition, plants with the root hair response acquire more phosphorus than mutants that have root hairs that do not respond to phosphorus limiting conditions. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the efficiency of root hairs in phosphorus acquisition at high- and low-phosphorus availability. Root hair growth, root growth, root respiration, plant phosphorus uptake, and plant phosphorus content of 3-wk-old wild-type Arabidopsis (WS) were compared to two root hair mutants (rhd6 and rhd2) under high (54 mmol/m) and low (0.4 mmol/m) phosphorus availability. A cost-benefit analysis was constructed from the measurements to determine root hair efficiency. Under high-phosphorus availability, root hairs did not have an effect on any of the parameters measured. Under low-phosphorus availability, wild-type Arabidopsis had greater total root surface area, shoot biomass, phosphorus per root length, and specific phosphorus uptake. The cost-benefit analysis shows that under low phosphorus, wild-type roots acquire more phosphorus for every unit of carbon respired or unit of phosphorus invested into the roots than the mutants. We conclude that the response of root hairs to low-phosphorus availability is an efficient strategy for phosphorus acquisition.     

Simultaneous effects of light intensity and phosphorus supply on the sterol content of phytoplankton

Sterol profiles of microalgae and their change with environmental conditions are of great interest in ecological food web research and taxonomic studies alike. Here, we investigated effects of light intensity and phosphorus supply on the sterol content of phytoplankton and assessed potential interactive effects of these important environmental factors on the sterol composition of algae. We identified sterol contents of four common phytoplankton genera, Scenedesmus, Chlamydomonas, Cryptomonas and Cyclotella, and analysed the change in sterol content with varying light intensities in both a high-phosphorus and a low-phosphorus approach. Sterol contents increased significantly with increasing light in three out of four species. Phosphorus-limitation reversed the change of sterol content with light intensity, i.e., sterol content decreased with increasing light at low phosphorus supply. Generally sterol contents were lower in low-phosphorus cultures. In conclusion, both light and phosphorus conditions strongly affect the sterol composition of algae and hence should be considered in ecological and taxonomic studies investigating the biochemical composition of algae. Data suggest a possible sterol limitation of growth and reproduction of herbivorous crustacean zooplankton during summer when high light intensities and low phosphorus supply decrease sterol contents of algae.     

Response to water deficit and high temperature of transgenic peas (Pisum sativum L.) containing a seed-specific alpha-amylase inhibitor and the subsequent effects on pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) survival

The effects of water deficit and high temperature on the production of alpha-amylase inhibitor 1 (alpha-AI-1) were studied in transgenic peas (Pisum sativum L.) that were developed to control the seed-feeding pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L., Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Transgenic and non-transgenic plants were subjected to water-deficit and high-temperature treatments under controlled conditions in the glasshouse and growth cabinet, beginning 1 week after the first pods were formed. In the water-deficit treatments, the peas were either adequately watered (control) or water was withheld after first pod formation. The high-temperature experiments were performed in two growth cabinets, one maintained at 27/22 degrees C (control) and one at 32/27 degrees C day/night temperatures, with the vapour pressure deficit maintained at 1.3 kPa. The plants exposure to high temperatures and water deficit produced 27% and 79% fewer seeds, respectively, than the controls. In the transgenic peas the level of alpha-AI-1 as a percentage of total protein was not influenced by water stress, but was reduced on average by 36.3% (the range in two experiments was 11-50%) in the high-temperature treatment. Transgenic and non-transgenic pods of plants grown at 27/22 degrees C and 32/27 degrees C were inoculated with pea weevil eggs to evaluate whether the reduction in level of alpha-AI-1 in the transgenic pea seeds affected pea weevil development and survival. At the higher temperatures, 39% of adult pea weevil emerged, compared to 1.2% in the transgenic peas grown at the lower temperatures, indicating that high temperature reduced the protective capacity of the transgenic peas.     

Viability of onion (Allium cega) seed as influenced by temperature during seed growth

The yield and performance of seeds from crops of winter-hardy, bolting-resistant onion grown at temperatures of 15–16, 18–19 and 22–23°C in 1979, 1980 and 1982 were compared. Yields of seed from crops grown at 22–23°C were lower than those from crops grown at lower temperatures but the seeds ripened between 11 and 32 days earlier. Seeds from crops grown at mean temperatures of above 18°C gave higher percentage germination when imbibed at 30°C than 20°C and they also gave higher percentage seedling emergence than those from crops grown at lower temperatures. Seedlings from seeds produced at mean temperatures above 18°C were heavier than those from seeds of a similar weight but produced at lower temperatures. None of these differences were associated with differences in seed weight, embryo weight or seed dormancy but were positively correlated with differences in seed N-concentration. The differences were also associated with the rate of imbibition of water as high germination, high N-content seeds had a slower rate of imbibition than low germination, low N-content seeds of the same weight.     

Seed phosphorus (P) content affects growth,and P uptake of wheat plants and their association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi

Two experiments were carried out in a growth chamber and a naturally lit glasshouse to investigate the influence of seed phosphorus (P) reserves on growth and P uptake by wheat plants (Triticum aestivum cv Krichauff), and their association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Increased seed P reserves improved plant growth at a range of P supply up to over 100 mg P kg^–1 soil. Plants grown from seeds with high P reserves tended to accumulate more P from soil, which was mainly attributed to better root system development. Mycorrhizal colonisation did not significantly affect P uptake of plants grown with low irradiance (in growth chamber). However, in the naturally lit glasshouse, mycorrhizal plants had significantly higher P concentrations than non-mycorrhizal plants. Furthermore, mycorrhizal plants grown from seeds low in P accumulated similar amounts of P compared with those grown from seeds with high P, indicating that mycorrhizal colonisation may overcome the disadvantage of having low seed P reserves in the field.     

The effects of seed weight on growth and competitive ability of Rumex acetosella from two successional old-fields

Summary The effects of seed size on growth, biomass allocation and competitive ability of Rumex acetosella plants grown either individually or in competition were studied in two populations (6 months and 15 years old respectively) sampled from a postcultivation successional gradient. For plants grown individually there were highly significant effects of seed weight on growth after 43 days, with a higher relative growth rate (RGR) observed for plants raised from heavier seeds. However at the end of the experiment, seedlings developed from lighter seeds had a RGR 2 times greater than those from heavier seeds. Final biomass of the two types was not significantly different after 73 days of growth. When plants were grown individually, there were only slight differences between populations, but when grown in monocultures of 4 plants per pot, plants from the old population had higher root and leaf biomass per pot whereas those from the young population had a higher reproductive effort per pot. This suggests that a trade-off between allocation to sexual and vegetative reproduction occurs over successional time. In mixtures of light and heavy seeds, plants from light seeds were shorter, had fewer leaves and lower biomass than plants from heavy seeds, which were also taller and produced more dry matter than plants grown from heavy seeds in monoculture. The significant effects of seed weight and population on biomass parameters persisted unit the end of the experiment. Seedlings from heavy seeds were strong competitors: those from the young population grew better in the presence of neighbors than in monoculture and those from the late successional population suppressed the more the growth of their partners. Seedlings from light seeds were subordinate competitors. These results suggest that seedlings from seeds of different sizes benefit from contrasting ecological conditions and that selection acts on reproductive output along successional gradients.     

The effect of mineral elements on the maturity of peanut seed

A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effect, of certain nutrient elements, on the maturing peanut. Peanut fruits were grown in fruiting zones, which contained a complete nutrient medium, for 15 days. Individual plants were then cultured to maturity whilst allowing the fruit to develop in a nutrient medium which contained the complete nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and B) from which one element had been excluded. Except in the ‘minus B’ treatment, the basal seed weighed more than 500 mg. In the head seed the “minus Ca” treatment produced the lowest number of seeds which weighed 500 mg or more and P, K and B deficiencies produced not quite such low numbers of seeds above 500 mg. When basal and head seeds were grouped into 3 grades of fresh weights, those from Ca and K deficiencies produced smaller dry weights in seeds harvested on the 80th day. Seeds from a Ca deficient medium had a smaller lipid content and an increased sugar content. The starch content of the seed was decreased by K deficiency.     

A method for determining in peacultures,the amount of molecular nitrogen fixed and the amount of combined nitrogen taken up from the soil

Summary A method has been described for the determination of the rate of nitrogen fixation when peas are grown in a soil from which they can take up combined nitrogen. This method is based on an earlier observation that previous nodule formation by an ineffective strain of the peaRhizobium H VIII prevents later nodulation by effective strains. Parallel pot experiments (muddy clay soil) in which pea plants were inoculated either with the ineffective strain VIII or with the effective strain H 47, showed that no effective nodules were produced by the former within a period of 2 months. Differences between the nitrogen contents of the peas in the two cultures can therefore be assumed to indicate the amount of atmospheric nitrogen fixed. Two successive oat crops were grown after the peas in order to determine the after-effect of the peas.The oats took up from the soil much more nitrogen than did the peas.     

Manganous oxide as a seed-pellet additive for controlling manganese deficiency in sugar-beet seedlings

Summary Experiments in the laboratory, glasshouse and field during 1975–78 tested manganous oxide as a seed-pellet additive for controlling deficiency in sugar-beet seedlings. There was no experimental evidence that manganous oxide in the seed pellet was ever harmful to seedling establishment. On the contrary, germination tests in the laboratory and experiments in the glasshouse indicated that, in certain conditions, manganous oxide may improve plant establishment even when plants are not likely to be deficient, probably by accelerating germination of seed and emergence of seedlings. In field experiments where sugar beet were severely deficient, the plants were heavier and contained more manganese on plots sown with seed pelleted with material containing 50% manganous oxide than on plots sown with ordinary pelleted seed. Applying a foliar spray of manganese sulphate during the third week of June in addition to pelleting the seed with material containing manganous oxide gave bigger yields than either the seed-pellet treatment or foliar spraying alone.     

The field behaviour of seed-borne Ascochyta fabae and disease control in field beans

In field sowings at Cambridge 2–15% of field bean seeds carrying Ascochyta fabae produced seedlings with leaf lesions. The fungus spread for distances up to 10 m in an average season and usually infected the new crop of seed. The amount of such infection arising from a single lot varied widely when samples were grown at different centres, presumably because of differences in local weather conditions. Seed lots with approximately 1% infected seeds seem suitable for ware crop production but little or no A. fabae can be tolerated in seed intended for multiplication. Infection in British-grown commercial seed has been greatly reduced by the selection of clean seed. Health standards adopted in the Field Bean Seed Scheme may have eliminated A. fabae from one cultivar.     

Optimizing reproductive phenology in a two-resource world: a dynamic allocation model of plant growth predicts later reproduction in phosphorus-limited plants

Background and Aims

Timing of reproduction is a key life-history trait that is regulated by resource availability. Delayed reproduction in soils with low phosphorus availability is common among annuals, in contrast to the accelerated reproduction typical of other low-nutrient environments. It is hypothesized that this anomalous response arises from the high marginal value of additional allocation to root growth caused by the low mobility of phosphorus in soils.

Methods

To better understand the benefits and costs of such delayed reproduction, a two-resource dynamic allocation model of plant growth and reproduction is presented. The model incorporates growth, respiration, and carbon and phosphorus acquisition of both root and shoot tissue, and considers the reallocation of resources from senescent leaves. The model is parameterized with data from Arabidopsis and the optimal reproductive phenology is explored in a range of environments.

Key Results

The model predicts delayed reproduction in low-phosphorus environments. Reproductive timing in low-phosphorus environments is quite sensitive to phosphorus mobility, but is less sensitive to the temporal distribution of mortality risks. In low-phosphorus environments, the relative metabolic cost of roots was greater, and reproductive allocation reduced, compared with high-phosphorus conditions. The model suggests that delayed reproduction in response to low phosphorus availability may be reduced in plants adapted to environments where phosphorus mobility is greater.

Conclusions

Delayed reproduction in low-phosphorus soils can be a beneficial response allowing for increased acquisition and utilization of phosphorus. This finding has implications both for efforts to breed crops for low-phosphorus soils, and for efforts to understand how climate change may impact plant growth and productivity in low-phosphorus environments.     

Effects of Exposure in Space on Tomato Seeds: Photosynthesis,Biomass, and Water Relations of Well-Watered and Drought-Stressed Plants

Tomato seeds exposed to space conditions for nearly six years on board the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite were subsequently germinated and the resultant seedlings grown on earth under controlled conditions for analysis. Photosynthesis, biomass, and water relations were compared between mature plants grown from earth-based control seeds and space-exposed seeds under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. No consistent significant differences in photosynthesis and water relations were observed in the two sets of plants at any level of drought stress. Fruit production, however, though limited and variable, was significantly greater in plants grown from space-exposed seeds than in plants grown from earth-based seeds. Overall, exposure of seeds to space had only minor effects on the physiology and growth of plants grown from such seed.     

Manipulation of sucrose phloem and embryo loading affects pea leaf metabolism,carbon and nitrogen partitioning to sinks as well as seed storage pools

Seed development largely depends on the long‐distance transport of sucrose from photosynthetically active source leaves to seed sinks. This source‐to‐sink carbon allocation occurs in the phloem and requires the loading of sucrose into the leaf phloem and, at the sink end, its import into the growing embryo. Both tasks are achieved through the function of SUT sucrose transporters. In this study, we used vegetable peas (Pisum sativum L.), harvested for human consumption as immature seeds, as our model crop and simultaneously overexpressed the endogenous SUT1 transporter in the leaf phloem and in cotyledon epidermal cells where import into the embryo occurs. Using this ‘Push‐and‐Pull’ approach, the transgenic SUT1 plants displayed increased sucrose phloem loading and carbon movement from source to sink causing higher sucrose levels in developing pea seeds. The enhanced sucrose partitioning further led to improved photosynthesis rates, increased leaf nitrogen assimilation, and enhanced source‐to‐sink transport of amino acids. Embryo loading with amino acids was also increased in SUT1‐overexpressors resulting in higher protein levels in immature seeds. Further, transgenic plants grown until desiccation produced more seed protein and starch, as well as higher seed yields than the wild‐type plants. Together, the results demonstrate that the SUT1‐overexpressing plants with enhanced sucrose allocation to sinks adjust leaf carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and amino acid partitioning in order to accommodate the increased assimilate demand of growing seeds. We further provide evidence that the combined Push‐and‐Pull approach for enhancing carbon transport is a successful strategy for improving seed yields and nutritional quality in legumes.     

Specificity of expression of the GUS reporter gene (uidA) driven by the tobacco ASA2 promoter in soybean plants and tissue cultures

Twelve independent lines were transformed by particle bombardment of soybean embryogenic suspension cultures with the tobacco anthranilate synthase (ASA2) promoter driving the uidA (beta-glucuronidase, GUS) reporter gene. ASA2 appears to be expressed in a tissue culture specific manner in tobacco (Song H-S, Brotherton JE, Gonzales RA, Widholm JM. Tissue culture specific expression of a naturally occurring tobacco feedback-insensitive anthranilate synthase. Plant Physiol 1998;117:533-43). The transgenic lines also contained the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) gene and were selected using hygromycin. All the selected cultures or the embryos that were induced from these cultures expressed GUS measured histochemically. However, no histochemical GUS expression could be found in leaves, stems, roots, pods and root nodules of the plants formed from the embryos and their progeny. Pollen from some of the plants and immature and mature seeds and embryogenic cultures initiated from immature cotyledons did show GUS activity. Quantitative 4-methylumbelliferyl-glucuronide (MUG) assays of the GUS activity in various tissues showed that all with observable histochemical GUS activity contained easily measurable activities and leaves and stems that showed no observable histochemical GUS staining did contain very low but measurable MUG activity above that of the untransformed control but orders of magnitude lower than the constitutive 35S-uidA controls used. Low but clearly above background levels of boiling sensitive GUS activity could be observed in the untransformed control immature seeds and embryogenic cultures using the MUG assay. Thus in soybean the ASA2 promoter drives readily observable GUS expression in tissue cultures, pollen and seeds, with only extremely low levels seen in vegetative tissues of the plants. The ASA2 driven expression seen in mature seed was, however, much lower than that seen with the constitutive 35S promoter; less than 2% in seed coats and less than 0.13% in cotyledons and embryo axes. The predominate tissue culture specific expression pattern of the ASA2 promoter may be useful for genetic transformation of crops.     

Effect of Rotylenchulus reniformis on Yield and Nitrogen,Potassium, Phosphorus and Amino Acid Content of Seed of Glycine max

Soybean cultivars varied in their response and tolerance to low initial Rotylenchulus reniforrnis populations of 10,000 nematodes/3.8 liters of soil, but a high initial population of 25,000 consistently reduced yields on resistant and susceptible cultivars by an average of 33.1%. At the 10,000 nematode inoculum level, dry seed yields of Hood decreased while those of Pickett increased significantly. Generally, total phosphorus decreased 11.1 and 11.5% and potassium increased 5.9 and 4.5% in seeds harvested from plants receiving initial inoculum levels of 5000 and 10,000 nematodes/pot, respectively. Little change in the total nitrogen content in seed was noted. Leucine content of seeds from infected plants was slightly less than from noninfected plants.     

持久性土壤种子库种子萌发的个体竞争能力会衰减吗?——以紫茎泽兰为例

持久性土壤种子库(PSSB)是一种重要的植物生活史对策, 很多学者就这种对策对物种适应和进化的影响进行过推理。但种子在土壤中的长时间存留是一种风险行为, 所有的PSSB影响的推理都取决于一个假设, 即PSSB种子萌发的个体的竞争能力没有因为存留损耗而显著降低。为验证这一假设, 该文以紫茎泽兰(Eupatorium adenophorum)为研究材料, 比较了埋藏1年和3年的PSSB种子萌发的个体与同母体的当年新种子萌发的个体之间在无竞争和4种密度制约竞争条件下的株高和生物量的差异。结果显示, 无论株高还是生物量, PSSB种子萌发的个体较同母体的新种子萌发的个体均有所降低, 但在多数检测时间内的降低程度未达到显著水平, 表明紫茎泽兰PSSB种子萌发的个体相对于同母体的新种子萌发的个体的竞争能力无显著下降。