Phosphorus Use Efficiency of Safflower （Carthamus tinctorius L.） and Sunflower （Helianthus annuus L.） Studied in Nutrient Solution

Safflower represents an important oil crop internationally and may have a production potential under low input conditions, but its putatively high phosphorous use efficiency is not sustained. This study aims to directly compare safflower with sunflower in terms of phosphorus use efficiency in nutrient solution under controlled conditions. Growth of both species responded strongly to increasing P supply. Safflower recovers less proportion of added P than sunflower. External P requirement （（g P supply （100 g dry matter （DM） produced）~） was higher in safflower than sunflower. The efficiency of the crops for DM production based on accumulated P （mg P potl, efficiency ratio）, and P concentration in DM （（mg P （g DM）＇I）, utilization index） were interpreted using Michaelis-Menten kinetics as growth response curves. Accordingly, Km constant was lower in sunflower compared to safflower in terms of utilization index, but both were similar in terms of efficiency ratio. High Km constant in safflower in terms of utilization index indicates the high P concentration in tissues to produce 50% of potential maximum DM, consequently less efficient crop. Utilization efficiency contributed more than uptake efficiency in overall PUE in the efficient cultivar and could be the cause of its superiority in PUE. It can be concluded that safflower has a high requirement for P with respect to growth, sunflower is more efficient in terms of uptake and utilization of P at optimal and sub-optimal P supplies indicating that safflower can not be considered a low nutrient input crop compared to sunflower with respect to phosphorus.

Effects of Different Nitrogen Levels on Growth and Nitrogen Utilization of Sugarcane

[Objectives]To systematically study the effects of different nitrogen levels on the growth and nitrogen utilization of sugarcane in Guangxi.[Methods]Through field experiment and indoor analysis,different nitrogen application levels were set up to determine soil nitrogen content and sugarcane nitrogen content.The effects of different nitrogen levels on sugarcane yield,agronomic characters and nitrogen utilization were studied.[Results]The effect of nitrogen application rate on sugarcane yield showed a quadratic curve,and nitrogen application could significantly increase sugarcane yield,and the sugarcane yield reached the maximum when the nitrogen application rate reached 714 kg/ha.[Conclusions]With the increase of nitrogen application rate,sugarcane yield increased,but when it exceeded a certain range,the sugarcane yield decreased significantly.

Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Diploid, Tetraploid and Hexaploid Wheats

Three diploid （Triticum boeoticum, AA; Aegilops speltoides, BB and Ae. tauschii, DD）, two tetraplold （T. dlcoccoides, AABB and T. dicoccon, AABB） and one hexapioid （T. vulgare, AABBDD） varieties of wheat, which are very important In the evolution of wheat were chosen in this study. A pot experiment was carried out on the wheat under different water and nutrient conditions （i） to understand the differences in biomass, yield, water use efficiency （WUE）, and nutrient （N, P and K） use efficiency （uptake and utilization efficiency） among ploidies in the evolution of wheat; （li） to clarify the effect of water and nutrient conditions on water and nutrient use efficiency; and （ill） to assess the relationship of water and nutrient use efficiency in the evolution of wheat. Our results showed that from diploid to tetraplold then to hexaploid during the evolution of wheat, both root biomass and above-ground biomass Increased Initially and then decreased. Water consumption for transpiration decreased remarkably, correlating with the decline of the growth period, while grain yield, harvest index, WUE, N, P and K uptake efficiency, and N, P and K utilization efficiency Increased significantly. Grain yield, harvest index and WUE decreased In the same order： T. vulgare 〉 T. dicoccon 〉 T. dicoccoides 〉 Ae. tauschii 〉 Ae. speltoides 〉 T. boeoticum. Water stress significantly decreased root blomass, above-ground biomass, yield, and water consumption for transpiration by 47-52%, but remarkably Increased WUE. Increasing the nutrient supply increased wheat above-ground biomass, grain yield, harvest Index, water consumption for transpiration and WUE under different water levels, but reduced root blomass under drought conditions. Generally, water stress and low nutrient supply resulted in the lower nutrient uptake efficiency of wheat. However, water and nutrient application had no significant effects on nutrient utilization efficiency, suggesting that wheat nutrient utilization efficiency is mainly controlled by genotypes. Compared to the other two diploid wheats, Ae. squarrosa （DD） had significant higher WUE and nutrient utilization efficiency, Indicating that the D genome may carry genes controlling high efficient utilization of water and nutrient. Significant relation- ships were found between WUE and N, P and K utilization efficiency.