Journal
PLANT AND SOIL
Volume 331, Issue 1-2, Pages 241-255Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11104-009-0249-x
Keywords
Carboxylate exudation; Native Australian legumes; Perennial herbaceous legume; Phosphorus; Rhizosphere pH; Root diameter; Specific root length; Root surface area; Total root length
Categories
Funding
- Australian Research Council (ARC)
- Department of Agricultural and Food Western Australia, Heritage Seeds
- Chemistry Centre of Western Australia
- Facey Group
- Mingenew Irvin Group
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Change in morphological and physiological parameters in response to phosphorus (P) supply was studied in 11 perennial herbaceous legume species, six Australian native (Lotus australis, Cullen australasicum, Kennedia prorepens, K. prostrata, Glycine canescens, C. tenax) and five exotic species (Medicago sativa, Lotononis bainesii, Bituminaria bituminosa var albomarginata, Lotus corniculatus, Macroptilium bracteatum). We aimed to identify mechanisms for P acquisition from soil. Plants were grown in sterilised washed river sand; eight levels of P as KH(2)PO(4) ranging from 0 to 384 mu g P g(-1) soil were applied. Plant growth under low-P conditions strongly correlated with physiological P-use efficiency and/or P-uptake efficiency. Taking all species together, at 6 mu g P g(-1) soil there was a good correlation between P uptake and both root surface area and total root length. All species had higher amounts of carboxylates in the rhizosphere under a low level of P application. Six of the 11 species increased the fraction of rhizosphere citrate in response to low P, which was accompanied by a reduction in malonate, except L. corniculatus. In addition, species showed different plasticity in response to P-application levels and different strategies in response to P deficiency. Our results show that many of the 11 species have prospects for low-input agroecosystems based on their high P-uptake and P-use efficiency.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available