Premium
How changing root system architecture can help tackle a reduction in soil phosphate ( P ) levels for better plant P acquisition
Author(s) -
HEPPELL J.,
TALBOYS P.,
PAYVANDI S.,
ZYGALAKIS K. C.,
FLIEGE J.,
WITHERS P. J. A.,
JONES D. L.,
ROOSE T.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12376
Subject(s) - topsoil , soil water , root system , chemistry , crop , phosphate , soil science , agronomy , environmental science , biology , biochemistry
The readily available global rock phosphate ( P ) reserves may run out within the next 50–130 years, causing soils to have a reduced P concentration which will affect plant P uptake. Using a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental data, we investigated potential plant‐based options for optimizing crop P uptake in reduced soil P environments. By varying the P concentration within a well‐mixed agricultural soil, for high and low P (35.5–12.5 mg L −1 respectively using Olsen's P index), we investigated branching distributions within a wheat root system that maximize P uptake. Changing the root branching distribution from linear (evenly spaced branches) to strongly exponential (a greater number of branches at the top of the soil) improves P uptake by 142% for low‐ P soils when root mass is kept constant between simulations. This causes the roots to emerge earlier and mimics topsoil foraging. Manipulating root branching patterns, to maximize P uptake, is not enough on its own to overcome the drop in soil P from high to low P . Further mechanisms have to be considered to fully understand the impact of P reduction on plant development.