Genotypic Variation in Root Morphological Characteristics of Common Bean in Relation to Phosphorus Efficiency

Root morphology in plants may be related to phosphorus (P) efficiency by affecting the absorption characteristics of the root system. However, genotypic variation in root morphological characteristics of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as affected by P availability has not been well clarified. In the present study, systematic studies were conducted in a P-buffered sand culture system using three pairs of common bean parental materials with contrasting root traits in response to P deficiency. The results indicate that P availability significantly affects bean root morphology. Common bean tends to have smaller root system, shorter and coarser roots at low P availability. Genotypic variation in root morphology was observed among different genotypes in response to P availability. The P efficient genotypes appear to have larger, finer and longer root systems than the P inefficient genotypes, and such a variation was particularly obvious in the basal roots. From allomeric analysis, we found that morphological characteristics of the basal roots contribute more to P efficiency than those of the tap roots. Further studies with the F-9 recombinant inbred lines derived from one of the most contrasting parental pairs, DOR364 and G19833, confirmed the above findings, indicating that those morphological characteristics are inheritable hence provide potential for genetic improvement.

Differentiation of Barley Genotypes with High Phosphorus Efficiency under Low Phosphorus Stress

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate differences in phosphorus effi-ciency between two-rowed barley and multiple-rowed barley and differences in phos-phorus efficiency among various agronomic traits, and to explore the relationship be-tween agronomic traits and row type with phosphorus efficiency. [Method] Under available phosphorus mass fractions of 1.32 and 36.6 mg/kg, 172 barley varieties, including 79 two-rowed foreign barley, 22 multiple-rowed foreign barley, 58 two-rowed Chinese barley and 13 multiple-rowed Chinese barley, were selected to com-pare differences in phosphorus efficiency-related agronomic traits. Plant height, spike length, number of unfil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains, main panicle weight, to-tal panicle weight, total stem weight, weight of aerial part and heading stage were surveyed for statistical analysis. [Result] The results showed that, various agronomic traits were larger under fertilization condition than under non-fertilization condition ex-cept number of unfil ed grains and heading stage. Plant high, spike length, weight of aerial part and heading stage varied greatly under non-fertilization condition; number of fil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains and total stem weight varied greatly under fertilization condition. In two-rowed barley, plant height and number of fil ed grains of Chinese varieties were higher than those of foreign varieties, while other agronomic traits such as spike length, number of unfil ed grains, main panicle weight, total panicle weight, total stem weight, weight of aerial part and heading stage of foreign varieties were higher than those of Chinese varieties. Spike length and weight of aerial part in multiple-rowed and two-rowed foreign barley were higher than those in Chinese barley. In multiple-rowed barley, plant height, number of unfil ed grains, total panicle weight and total stem weight of foreign varieties were higher under non-fer-tilization condition and lower under fertilization condition compared with those of Chi-nese varieties; number of fil ed grains, main panicle weight and heading stage of foreign varieties were lower under non-fertilization condition and higher under fertil-ization condition compared with those of Chinese varieties. [Conclusion] Heading stage, number of fil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains and total stem weight are more sensitive to phosphorus efficiency. Multiple-rowed barley is more sensitive to phosphorus efficiency than two-rowed barley.

Difference in Absorption of N, P and K among Different-Phosphorus Efficiency Soybean Genotypes at the Seedling Stage

The low-phosphorus efficiency soybean genotypes, D03, D05, D17 and D18, and the high-phosphorus efficiency soybean genotypes, D31, D34, D37 and D38 were selected. The soil culture experiment was conducted. There were 2 treat- ments, high phosphorus （＋P） and low phosphorus （-P）. The difference in absorption of N, P and K among different-phosphorus efficiency soybean genotypes at the seedling stage was analyzed. The results showed in the low phosphorus （-P） treat- ment, the P absorption amount differed among roots, stems and leaves of different high-phosphorus efficiency genotypes. The P absorption amount was positively relat- ed （P〈0.05, P〈0.01） to the dry weights of root, stem and leaves, but was negative- ly related to the utilization efficiency of phosphorus （P〉0.05）. The N and K absorp- tion amounts of root, stem and leaves all trended to decrease. The low phosphorus stress would inhibit the absorption of N, P and K in soybean plants at the seedling stage. However, the adaptability of the high-phosphorus efficiency soybean geno- types to low phosphorus stress was significantly higher than that of low-phosphorus efficiency genotypes.

Analysis of Phosphorus Nutrition Efficiency of Soybean Genotypes with Different Phosphorus Efficiency at Blooming Stage under Low Phosphorus Stress

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the phosphorus nutrition effi- ciency of different soybean genotypes at blooming stage under low phosphorus stress. [Method] By using four ＂low phosphorus efficiency＂ soybean genotypes （D03, D05, D17 and D18） and four ＂high phosphorus efficiency＂ soybean genotypes （D31, D34, D37 and D38） as experimental materials, soil culture experiment was conduct- ed with two treatments of high phosphorus （＋P） and low phosphorus （-P）, to analyze the relationship between phosphorus content, phosphorus uptake, phosphorus use efficiency and phosphorus efficiency of soybean genotypes with different phos- phorus efficiency. [Result] Under low phosphorus conditions, four soybean genotypes with high phosphorus efficiency showed significant advantage in phosphorus uptake at seedling stage, to be specific, D34 showed relatively high phosphorus absorption capacity but no advantage in adaptability of phosphorus use efficiency, while only D37 showed relatively high phosphorus absorption capacity and phosphorus use ca- pacity. Correlation analysis and path analysis showed that the level of phosphorus efficiency of soybean at blooming stage under （-P） and （＋P） treatments was mainly determined by phosphorus absorption capacity, and that under （-P） treatment was significantly greater than （＋P） treatment. Phosphorus uptake and phosphorus use ef- ficiency under （-P） and （＋P） treatments both showed great direct effects on phos- phorus efficiency, and phosphorus uptake made greater contribution; however, the indirect effects were relatively low, Under low phosphorus stress, the mechanisms for various soybean genotypes with high phosphorus efficiency to adapt to low phospho- rus stress were different, and phosphorus absorption efficiency （phosphorus uptake） was the main variation source of the phosphorus efficiency of various soybean genotypes at blooming stage. [Conclusion] This study revealed the contribution made by phosphorus absorption efficiency and phosphorus use efficiency to phosphorus efficiency of soybean.

Assessment on Phosphorus Efficiency Characteristics of Soybean Genotypes in Phosphorus-Deficient Soils

A glasshouse study compared the growth and phosphorus （P） efficiency of 96 genotypes of soybean [Glycine max （L.） Merrill] in a P-deficient soil. The soybean genotypes differed greatly in growth, nodulation and P uptake after growing in the soil for 45 days, with shoot biomass ranging from 0.91 to 1.75 g per plant. The application of P improved biomass production, nodulation and P uptake and decreased root to shoot ratio, root length and surface area and P utilization efficiency. The 96 soybean genotypes were divided into 3 categories in P efficiency using the principal component analysis and cluster analysis, and 4 categories according to F values in combination with growth potentials. The Pefficient genotypes were associated with high biomass production, root to shoot ratio, root length and surface area and P uptake but low shoot to root P concentration ratio under P deficiency. The results indicate that there is a substantial genotypic variation in P efficiency in existing germplasm, and that P efficiency was correlated positively with dry weights of shoots and roots, ratio of root to shoot dry weight, root length and surface area, root P content and total P uptake. The shoot dry weight under P deficiency and relative shoot dry weight （deficient P/adequate P supply） are effective and simple indicators for screening P-efficient genotypes at the seedling stage.

Phylogeography and Characteristics of Phosphorus Efficiency of Secondary Core Collection for Rice Landraces in Yunnan Province

[Objective] The paper was to explore the causes of phosphorus(P)efficiency of rice in Yunnan Province,and to provide strategy for ecological and environmental protection.[Method]Using 703 accessions of secondary core collections from 16 prefectures of five regions in Yunnan Province,two treatments of low available P(6.26mg/kg)versus normal P(available P 40mg/kg),and invalid P(available P 0.02 mg/kg)versus normal P(available P 70 mg/kg)were set,and zonal characteristics of phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P of rice landraces were investigated.[Result] Phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils from rice landraces of Yunnan Province had the similar identification indexes,viz.the relative indexes of four traits(tillering ability or effective panicle,root weight,biomass,and straw weight)could be the screening indexes of gene type of secondary core collection with phosphorus efficiency,which also reflected the zonal characteristics of phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils of 16 prefectures among five regions.On the contrary,the relative panicle length,node length under panicle,leaf length,leaf width and plant height could only be the assistant indexes of identification for phosphorus efficiency.There were similar zonal characteristics between phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils of rice landraces in Yunnan Province.[Conclusion] The study had great importance to the conservation and utilization of biological diversity,which would make contribution to second green revolution of "less input,multiple output,promote health,and protect the environment".

Screening and identification of soybean varieties with high phosphorus efficiency at seedling stage

In order to simplify the workload and find a reliable method for screening soybeans with different phosphorus(P)efficiencies,47 soybean varieties were screened from 90 varieties according to yield under normal phosphorus,and 10 indicators including root phenotype,phosphorus utilization efficiency at the seedling stage and yield were measured.Through single-index cluster analysis,the performance value and relative value of the abovementioned indexes under low-phosphorus conditions were analyzed,and then,the combined indexes were analyzed by principal components method.The membership function method and the cluster analysis method was used to calculate and analyze the comprehensive score value.Three indexes of root P utilization efficiency(X_(1)),relative value of root P utilization efficiency(X_(2)),and root volume(X_(3))under low P at the seedling stage were selected as the most consistent with the yield screening results under low P condition,and the mathematical model of the comprehensive score value was obtained:D=1.218X_(1)t 0.320X_(2)t 0.007X_(3)-0.664(P=0.000,R^(2)=1.000).The comprehensive score can screen and identify the P efficiency of soybeans with fewer indexes in the early growth stages,which provides a more rapid and reliable mathematical model for screening and identifying a larger number of germplasm resources for P efficiency.

Characterization of Two Putative Protein Phosphatase Genes and Their Involvement in Phosphorus Efficiency in Phaseolus vulgaris

Protein dephosphorylation mediated by protein phosphatases plays a major role in signal transduction of plant responses to environmental stresses. In this study, two putative protein phosphatases, PvPS2：1 and PvPS2：2 were identified and characterized in bean （Phaseolus vulgaris）. The two PvPS2 members were found to be localized to the plasma membrane and the nucleus by transient expression of PvPS2：GFP in onion epidermal cells. Transcripts of the two PvPS2 genes were significantly increased by phosphate （P1） starvation in the two bean genotypes, G19833 （a P-efficient genotype） and DOR364 （a P-inefficient genotype）. However, G19833 exhibited higher PvPS2：1 expression levels than DOR364 in both leaves and roots during P1 starvation. Increased transcription of PvPS2：1 in response to P1 starvation was further verified through histochemical analysis of PvPS2：I promoter fusion b-glucuronidase （GUS） in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Analysis of PvPS2：1 overexpression lines in bean hairy roots and Arabidopsis showed that PvS2：1 was involved in root growth and P accumulation. Furthermore, expression levels of two P1 starvation responsive genes were upregulated and the APase activities were enhanced in the overexpressing PvPS2：1 Arabidopsis lines. Taken together, our results strongly suggested that PvPS2：1 positively regulated plant responses to P1 starvation, and could be further targeted as a candidate gene to improve crop P efficiency.

Identification and Selection of Wheat Genotypes with High Phosphorus Use Efficiency at Adult Stage in Huang-huai Wheat Area

[Objective] This study was conducted to select wheat varieties with high P use efficiency. [Method] A field experiment was carried out with 112 wheat germplasm varieties as experiment materials under normal （NP） and low phosphorus （LP） conditions, and with Jimai 22 as control, genotypes with high P use efficiency and excellent yield traits were selected. [Result] Compared with NP treatment, 8 wheat yield-related traits, spike number per plant, thousand-grain weight plant height, spike length, fertile spikelet number per spike, grain number per spike, grain weight per plant and above-land weight per plant, and 3 P content traits, grain, straw and above-land P contents per plant decreased significantly under LP condition （P〈〈 0.05）, while 3 P utilization efficiency traits, grain, straw and aboveground P utilization efficiencies increased obviously, indicating that low P stress would greatly reduce yield and P content of wheat at adult stage, but would remarkably improve P utilization efficiency. Correlation analysis showed that plant height, fertile spikelet number per spike and grain weight per plant and straw and above-land P concentrations were in significant positive correlation with 3 P content traits, grain, straw and above-land P contents per plant, and in significant negative correlation with 2 Putilization efficiency traits, straw and above-land P utilization efficiencies （P〈0.01）, and could serve as indexes for preliminary rapid evaluation of P use efficiency. Under NP treatment, 17 genotypes with high P use efficiency were selected, and among them, Hanxuan H28, 2010 Pin 4891 and Zhoumai 28 showed grain weights per plant higher than Jimai 22 by 36.07%, 31.96% and 37.44%, respectively, and above-land P utilization efficiency higher than Jimai 22 by 49.34%, 49.42% and 33.05%, respectively; and under LP treatment, 10 genotypes with high P use efficiency were selected, and among them, Henong 826 showed grain weight per plant and above-land P utilization efficiency higher than Jimai 22 by 37.60% and 20.42%, respectively. Furthermore, Hanxuan H23, Hanxuan H28 and Xumai 856 were identified as genotypes with high P use efficiency under both NP and LP treatments. [Conclusion] This study provides good parent materials for breeding of varieties with high P use efficiency.

Differences in Phosphorus Absorption and Utilization Efficiency of Soybean in Mature Period under Phosphorus Stress

In this study, four phosphorus-inefficient soybean genotypes （1903, 1305, D17 and D18） and four phosphorus-efficient soybean genotypes （D31, D34, D37 and D38 ） were selected as experimental materials for soil culture experiment under high and low phosphorus treatments, to investigate the grain yield, phosphorus content, phosphorus uptake and the relationship between phosphorus utilization efficiency and phosphorus efficiency of soybean genotypes with different phos- phorus efficiency in mature period. According to the experimental results, under low phosphorus treatment, four phosphorus-efficient soybean genotypes exhibited significantly high phosphorus uptake in mature period, especially for D31 and D37; however, three phosphorus-efficient genotypes showed no advantages in adapta- bility of phosphorus utilization efficiency, while only I）31 exhibited high phosphorus utilization and absorption capacity. Correlation analysis and path analysis showed that phosphorus deficiency of soybean was mainly detemained by phosphorus absorption capacity, and phosphorus deficiency under （-P） treatment was sig- nificandy higher than （ ＋ P） treatment. Phosphorus uptake and phosphorus utilization efficiency posed great direct effects on phosphorus efficiency, and phosphorus uptake exhibited a greater contribution ; in addition, these two factors both posed small indirect effects. In mature period at reproductive growth stage, phosphorus absorption efficiency （phosphorus uptake） was the main variation source of phosphorus efficiency of various soybean genotypes in mature period. Therefore, strong phosphorus uptake and accumulation capacity of phosphorus-efficient soybean genotypes in mature period is an important nutrition foundation for the information of high grain yield.

Responses of Phosphorus Use Efficiency, Grain Yield, and Quality to Phosphorus Application Amount of Weak-Gluten Wheat

Phosphorus （P） is one of the most widely occurring nutrients for development and growth of wheat. In this study, the effects of P application amount on grain yield, protein content, and phosphorus use efficiency （PUE） were studied by agronomic management of P fertilizer on spring weak-gluten wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） grown under field conditions for 2 yr. The experiments were performed at five levels of P205 application amount, including 0, 72, 108, 144, and 180 kg ha-1. As a result, with increase in P fertilizer, grain yield, and P agricultural efficiency （AEp） increased in a quadratic equitation, but partial factor productivity of P （PFPp） decreased in a logarithmic eq. When 108 kg ha-1 P2Os was applied, the grain yield reached the highest level, but the protein content in gain was lower than 11.5%, a threshold for the protein content to evaluate weak-gluten wheat suitable for production of cake and biscuit. Yangmai 13 and Ningmai 9 could tolerate to higher P level of soils than Yangmai 9 that had more loss in grain yield when P fertilizer was over-applied. AEp had a concomitant relationship with grain yield and was a better descriptor for P use efficiency in the wheat. A high P use efficiency resulted in leaf area index （LAI）, increased chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate, and stable acid phophatase （APase） activity to accumulate more dry matter after anthesis, which explained that the optimum P fertilizer increased grain yield and improved grain quality of weak-gluten wheat.

Effect of Phosphorus and Irrigation Levels on Yield,Water Productivity,Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Income of Lowland Rice in Northwest Pakistan

With decreasing availability of water for agriculture and increasing demand for rice production, an optimum use of irrigation water and phosphorus may guarantee sustainable rice production. Field experiments were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to investigate the effect of phosphorus and irrigation levels on yield, water productivity （WP）, phosphorus use efficiency （PUE） and income of low land rice. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangements replicated four times. Main plot consisted of five phosphorus levels, viz. 0 （P0）, 50 （P50）, 100 （P100）, 150 （P15o）, and 200 （P200） kg/hm2, while subplots contained of irrigation times, i.e. 8 （I8）, 10 （I10）, 12 （I12）, and 14 （I14） irrigation levels, each with a water depth of 7.5 cm. Mean values revealed that P150 in combination with I10 produced the highest paddy yield （9.8 t/hm2） and net benefit （1 231.8 US$/hm2） among all the treatments. Phosphorus enhanced WP when applied in appropriate combination with irrigation level. The highest mean WP [13.3 kg/（hm2-mm）] could be achieved at Plso with 18 and decreased with increase in irrigation level, while the highest mean PUE （20.1 kg/kg） could be achieved at P100 with I10 and diminished with higher P levels. The overall results indicate that P150 along with I10 was the best combination for sustainable rice cultivation in silty clay soil.

A major quantitative trait locus controlling phosphorus utilization efficiency under different phytate-P conditions at vegetative stage in barley

Organic phosphorus（P） is an important component of the soil P pool, and it has been proven to be a potential source of P for plants. The phosphorus utilization efficiency（PUE） and PUE related traits（tiller number（TN）, shoot dry weight（DW）, and root dry weight） under different phytate-P conditions（low phytate-P, 0.05 mmol L^-1 and normal phytate-P, 0.5 mmol L^-1） were investigated using a population consisting of 128 recombinant inbred lines（RILs） at the vegetative stage in barley. The population was derived from a cross between a P-inefficient genotype（Baudin） and a P-efficient genotype（CN4027, a Hordeum spontaneum accession）. A major locus（designated Qpue.sau-3 H） conferring PUE was detected in shoots and roots from the RIL population. The quantitative trait locus（QTL） was mapped on chromosome 3 H and the allele from CN4027 confers high PUE. This locus explained up to 30.3 and 28.4% of the phenotypic variance in shoots under low and normal phytate-P conditions, respectively. It also explains 28.3 and 30.7% of the phenotypic variation in root under the low and normal phytate-P conditions, respectively. Results from this study also showed that TN was not correlated with PUE, and a QTL controlling TN was detected on chromosome 5 H. However, dry weight（DW） was significantly and positively correlated with PUE, and a QTL controlling DW was detected near the Qpue.sau-3 H locus. Based on a covariance analysis, existing data indicated that, although DW may affect PUE, different genes at this locus are likely involved in controlling these two traits.

Identifying the critical phosphorus balance for optimizing phosphorus input and regulating soil phosphorus effectiveness in a typical winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in North China

Phosphorus(P)is a nonrenewable resource and a critical element for plant growth that plays an important role in improving crop yield.Excessive P fertilizer application is widespread in agricultural production,which not only wastes phosphate resources but also causes P accumulation and groundwater pollution.Here,we hypothesized that the apparent P balance of a crop system could be used as an indicator for identifying the critical P input in order to obtain a high yield with high phosphorus use efficiency(PUE).A 12-year field experiment with P fertilization rates of 0,45,90,135,180,and 225 kg P_(2)O_(5)ha^(-1)was conducted to determine the crop yield,PUE,and soil Olsen-P value response to P balance,and to optimize the P input.Annual yield stagnation occurred when the P fertilizer application exceeded a certain level,and high yield and PUE levels were achieved with annual P fertilizer application rates of 90-135 kg P_(2)O_(5)ha^(-1).A critical P balance range of 2.15-4.45 kg P ha^(-1)was recommended to achieve optimum yield with minimal environmental risk.The critical P input range estimated from the P balance was 95.7-101 kg P_(2)O_(5)ha^(-1),which improved relative yield(>90%)and PUE(90.0-94.9%).In addition,the P input-output balance helps in assessing future changes in Olsen-P values,which increased by 4.07 mg kg^(-1)of P for every 100 kg of P surplus.Overall,the P balance can be used as a critical indicator for P management in agriculture,providing a robust reference for limiting P excess and developing a more productive,efficient and environmentally friendly P fertilizer management strategy.

Phosphorus Uptake and Utilisation Efficiencies of Different Wheat Cultivars Based on a Sand-Culture Screening System

A sand-based culture system using rock phosphate (P) was developed to simulate the situation in alkalinesoils, with respect to the dominant P form, and five wheat cultivars (Excalibur, Brookton, Krichauff, Westoniaand Sunco) were tested in this screening system to compare their P uptake and utilisation efficiencies. Resultsshowed that these cultivars differed significantly in their ability to acquire P from the sparingly available form(rock phosphate in this case). The accumulation of P by Brookton was three times that by Krichauff. Pconcentrations in plant tissues did not differ significantly, indicating that all cultivars were similar in Putilisation efficiency. A further experiment showed that the greater ability of a cultivar to take up P fromsparingly available form was related to the ability of a cultivar to acidify the rhizosphere. Seed P content wasa confounding factor in this system, and the use of relatively uniform seed with similar P content, preferablylow, was conducive to a successful outcome of the screening process.

Genome-Wide Expression Profile of Maize Root Response to Phosphorus Deficiency Revealed by Deep Sequencing

Phosphorus （P） is one of the three primary macronutrients that are required in large amounts for plant growth and development. To better understand molecular mechanism of maize and identify relevant genes in response to phosphorus deficiency, we used Solexa/Illumina＇s digital gene expression （DGE） technology to investigate six genome-wide expression profiles of seedling roots of the low-P tolerant maize inbred line 178. DGE studies were conducted at 6, 24 and 72 h under both phosphorus deficient and sufficient conditions. Approximately 3.93 million raw reads for each sample were sequenced and 6 816 genes exhibited significant levels of differential expressions in at least one of three time points in response to P starvation. The number of genes with increased expression increased over time from 6 to 24 h, whereas genes with decreased expression were more abundant at 72 h, suggesting a gradual response process for P deficiency at different stages. Gene annotations illustrated that most of differentially expressed genes （DEGs） are involved in different cellular and molecular processes such as environmental adaptation and carbohydrate metabolism. The expression of some known genes identified in other plants, such as those involved in root architecture, P metabolism and transport were found to be altered at least two folds, indicating that the mechanisms of molecular and morphological adaptation to P starvation are conserved in plants. This study provides insight into the general molecular mechanisms underlying plant adaptation to low-P stress and thus may facilitate molecular breeding for improving P utilization in maize.

Linking nutrient resorption stoichiometry with plant growth under long-term nitrogen addition

Increased nitrogen(N)input can potentially lead to secondary phosphorus(P)limitation;however,it remains unclear whether differences in the plant's ability to cope with this P deficiency are related to their growth responses.Using a long-term experiment of N addition in a boreal forest,we explored the potential role of plant nutrient resorption efficiency and its stoichiometry in mediating plant growth responses to increased N input.We recorded the cover and measured the concentration and resorption efficiency of leaf N and P as well as the photosynthesis of a grass Deyeuxia angustifolia and a shrub Vaccinium vitis-idaea.The cover of the grass D.angustifolia increased with increasing N addition,while that of the shrub V.vitis-idaea decreased with N addition rate and almost disappeared from the high-level N addition over time.P resorption efficiency(PRE)increased in D.angustifolia but decreased in V.vitis-idaea with increasing leaf N:P which was increased by N addition for both species.In addition,photosynthesis increased linearly with N resorption efficiency(NRE)and PRE but was better explained by NRE:PRE,changing nonlinearly with the ratio in a hump-shaped trend.Furthermore,the variance(CV)of NRE:PRE for V.vitis-idaea(123%)was considerably higher than that for D.angustifolia(29%),indicating a more stable nutrient resorption stoichiometry of the grass.Taken together,these results highlight that efficient P acquisition and use strategy through nutrient resorption processes could be a pivotal underlying mechanism driving plant growth and community composition shifts under N enrichment.

Critical phosphorus concentrations in winter wheat genotypes with various phosphorus efficiencies

Under greenhouse conditions, a pot experiment was conducted to seek critical phosphorus concentrations of wheat genotypes with high and low phosphorus use efficiency. Results indicated that low efficient genotype was much more sensitive to phosphorus deficiency, with low or without phosphorus application, seed yield and dry matter of biomass were much lower. The yield of all the genotypes gradually got higher as application rate increased, but high efficient genotype——Lofflin produced relatively higher yields of seeds and biomass with low or without phosphorus input. Highly tolerate to low availability of soil phosphorus and efficient activation and absorption for soil unavailable phosphorus had been displayed. As application rates increased, yields of both genotypes were increased but high efficient genotype maintained stable while low efficient one showed continuously increase with remuneration decrease progressively. Critical phosphorus concentrations in high efficient genotypes of winter wheat were lower than that in low efficient ones and changed with various development stages, for example, at seedling state, the concentrations of high efficient genotype were 4.50—4.60 g/kg while low efficient one was 5.0 g/kg. They were 2.25—2.30 g/kg and 2.52 g/kg at flower stage, 1.96—2.05 g/kg and 2.15 g/kg at maturity respectively. But the values in seeds were reversal, higher in high efficient genotype(4.05—4.10 g/kg) than that in low efficient(3.90 g/kg). Therefore, phosphorus high efficient genotypes belong to the phosphorus resource saving type.

Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization to P Uptake and Dry Matter Accumulation in Soybean with Different P Efficiencies

Phosphorus （P） is an essential element for plant growth and yield. Improving phosphorus use efficiency of crops could potentially reduce the application of chemical fertilizer and alleviate environmental damage. Soybean （Glycine max （L.） Merr.） is sensitive to phosphorus （P） in the whole life history. Soybean cultivars with different P efficiencies were used to study P uptake and dry matter accumulation under different P levels. Under low P conditions, the P contents of leaf in high P efficiency cultivars were greater than those in low P efficiency cultivars at the branching stage. The P accumulation in stems of high P efficiency cultivars and in leaves of low P efficiency cultivars increased with increasing P concentration at the branching stage. At the late podding stage, the P accumulation of seeds in high and low P efficiency cultivars were 22.5 and 26.0%, respectively; and at the mature stage were 69.8 and 74.2%, respectively. In average, the P accumulation in whole plants and each organ was improved by 24.4% in high P efficiency cultivars compared to low P efficiency cultivars. The biomass between high and low P efficiency cultivars were the same under extended P condition, while a significant difference was observed at late pod filling stage. At the pod setting stage, the biomass of high P efficiency cultivars were significant greater （17.4%） than those of low P efficiency cultivars under high P condition. Meanwhile, under optimum growth conditions, there was little difference ofbiomass between the two types of cultivars, however, the P agronomic efficiency and P harvest index were significant higher in high P efficiency cultivars than those in low P efficiency cultivars.

Tolerance to low phosphorus in rice varieties is conferred by regulation of root growth

Phosphorus use efficiency(PUE)can be improved through cultivation techniques and breeding.However,little is known about rice(Oryza sativa L.)agronomic and physiological traits associated with high PUE.We characterized the agronomic and physiological traits of rice varieties with different tolerances to low phosphorus in nutrient solution.Two varieties with strong tolerance to low phosphorus(STVs)and two with weak tolerance(WTVs)were grown at normal(NP,control)and low phosphorus(LP,1/20 of NP)concentrations.Plants grown at LP produced significantly lower grain yield than those grown at NP.WTVs yields were lower than STVs yields.Compared to NP,LP significantly increased phosphorus translocation efficiency(PTE),internal phosphorus efficiency(IPE)and phosphorus harvest index(PHI).Under the LP condition,PTE and IPE were higher for STVs than for WTVs.LP also reduced tiller number,shoot biomass,leaf area index(LAI),leaf photosynthetic rate,and mean root diameter of both kinds of varieties at the main growth stages,but to a lower extent in STVs.LP significantly increased the number of productive tillers,root biomass,root-shoot ratio,root bleeding rate,and root acid phosphatase(RAP)activity.Total root length,root oxidation activity(ROA),and root total and active absorbing surface areas for STVs were significantly increased under LP,whereas the opposite responses were observed for WTVs.Total root length,ROA,root bleeding rate,root active absorbing surface area,and RAP activity were positively and significantly correlated with grain yield,PTE,and IPE.These results suggest that the tolerance of rice varieties to a low-phosphorus growth condition is closely associated with root growth with higher biomass and activity.