scholarly journals Phenotypic response to soil compaction varies among genotypes and correlates with plant size in sorghum

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Correa ◽  
Johannes A. Postma ◽  
Tobias Wojciechowski

Abstract Aims Soil compaction is a major yield-reducing factor worldwide and imposes physico-chemical constraints to plant growth and development. Facing limitations, roots can adapt and compensate for loss of functioning through their plasticity. Being primarily a belowground challenge, tolerance to soil compaction needs to be associated with root phenotype and plasticity. It is therefore of importance to distinguish between size-related apparent and size-independent adaptive plasticity. We determined the above- and belowground plasticity of sorghum genotypes varying in overall plant size. Methods We quantified plasticity as the degree response (adaptive and apparent plasticity) to soil compaction and conducted two experiments with sorghum and two soil density levels (1.4 and 1.8 Mg m−3). First, we quantified the shoot biomass plasticity of 28 sorghum genotypes. Second, we studied the root plasticity of six genotypes varying in shoot size and tolerance to soil compaction. Results Plasticity was correlated with plant biomass with larger genotypes responding earlier and more intensely. Soil compaction affected roots more than shoots and plasticity was expressed foremost in nodal root number and fine root length. Impeded plants produced 35 and 47% less root mass and length, respectively. Conclusions Plasticity to soil compaction varies among genotypes, but less-sensitive lines are in general smaller-sized genotypes. The association between tolerance and plant biomass may pose challenges to crop production; however, vigorous genotypes with unresponsive shoots to soil compaction do exist. Maintaining shoot growth relatively stable while the root modifies its structure can be an important adaptation mechanism to soil compaction.

Botany ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet C. Steven ◽  
Amber L. Gaddis

White-tailed deer are overabundant in much of eastern North America and may be suppressing regeneration in some tree species. Herbivory initially reduces plant biomass, but it has the potential to stimulate compensatory growth. However, stressful environmental conditions may reduce recovery from herbivory. Seedlings of Atlantic white cedar, Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb., are frequently browsed by white-tailed deer and also experience both flooded and dry soils in natural habitats. We conducted a growth chamber experiment to test for a potential interaction between simulated deer browsing and water availability treatments on seedling height, stem diameter, and above- and belowground biomass. Of the 180 study plants, half were subjected to an initial clipping treatment, and all plants were then exposed to high, intermediate, or low water availability for 90 days. We found that, over the short term, seedlings in favorable growing conditions could not compensate for lost biomass after simulated browsing. Drought reduced shoot biomass, and flooded soils reduced root but not shoot growth. Water stress and herbivory did not interact to reduce growth more than the effect of each treatment separately. In general, the effect of water stress on plant size was greater than the effect of simulated herbivory.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADERVAN FERNANDES SOUSA ◽  
LINDBERGUE ARAÚJO CRISOSTOMO ◽  
OLMAR BALLER WEBER ◽  
MARIA EUGENIA ORTIZ ESCOBAR ◽  
TEÓGENES SENNA DE OLIVEIRA

ABSTRACT: Irrigation using produced water, which is generated during crude oil and gas recovery and treated by the exploration industry, could be an option for irrigated agriculture in semiarid regions. To determine the viability of this option, the effects of this treated water on the nutritional status of plants should be assessed. For this purpose, we examined the nutritional changes in sunflowers after they were irrigated with oil-produced water and the effects of this water on plant biomass and seed production. The sunflower cultivar BRS 321 was grown for three crop cycles in areas irrigated with filtered produced water (FPW), reverse osmosis-treated produced water (OPW), or ground water (GW). At the end of each cycle, roots, shoots, and seeds were collected to examine their nutrient concentrations. Produced water irrigation affected nutrient accumulation in the sunflower plants. OPW irrigation promoted the accumulation of Ca, Na, N, P, and Mg. FPW irrigation favored the accumulation of Na in both roots and shoots, and biomass and seed production were negatively affected. The Na in the shoots of plants irrigated with FPW increased throughout the three crop cycles. Under controlled conditions, it is possible to reuse reverse osmosis-treated produced water in agriculture. However, more long-term research is needed to understand its cumulative effects on the chemical and biological properties of the soil and crop production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Tepler Drobnitch ◽  
Louise H. Comas ◽  
Nora Flynn ◽  
Jorge Ibarra Caballero ◽  
Ryan W. Barton ◽  
...  

Root pressure, also manifested as profusive sap flowing from cut stems, is a phenomenon in some species that has perplexed biologists for much of the last century. It is associated with increased crop production under drought, but its function and regulation remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the initiation, mechanisms, and possible adaptive function of root pressure in six genotypes of Sorghum bicolor during a drought experiment in the greenhouse. We observed that root pressure was induced in plants exposed to drought followed by re-watering but possibly inhibited by 100% re-watering in some genotypes. We found that root pressure in drought stressed and re-watered plants was associated with greater ratio of fine: coarse root length and shoot biomass production, indicating a possible role of root allocation in creating root pressure and adaptive benefit of root pressure for shoot biomass production. Using RNA-Seq, we identified gene transcripts that were up- and down-regulated in plants with root pressure expression, focusing on genes for aquaporins, membrane transporters, and ATPases that could regulate inter- and intra-cellular transport of water and ions to generate positive xylem pressure in root tissue.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-127
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Wells ◽  
Jeffrey S. Beasley ◽  
Edward W. Bush ◽  
Lewis. A. Gaston

Abstract Poultry litter ash (PLA) is a byproduct of bioenergy production and an effective P source for horticultural crops since it reduces P losses from container production due to its low P solubility. Experiments were conducted to determine effects of rate and placement of PLA on P loss from greenhouse crop production and growth and quality of two commonly-grown greenhouse crops, Verbena canadensis Britton ‘Homestead Purple' and Lantana camara L. ‘New Gold', by comparing two rates (140 and 280 g·m−3 P or 0.4 and 0.8 lb·yd−3) and two application methods (post-plant topdressed and pre-plant incorporated). Leachate-dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) concentrations were reduced by an average of 24% as P rate was reduced from 280 to 140 g·m−3, but were 134% less on average when PLA was topdressed instead of incorporated. Foliar P concentrations were less 33% and 44% for verbena and lantana, respectively when plants were topdressed compared to incorporated. Shoot biomass of verbena and lantana was 9% and 24% greater, respectively, when incorporating instead of topdressing PLA. As a P source, PLA should be pre-plant incorporated within the substrate at a total P rate between 140 g·m−3 (0.4 lb·yd−3) and 280 g·m−3 (0.8 lb·yd−3). Index words: phosphorus, poultry litter ash, Verbena canadensis Britton ‘Homestead Purple', Lantana camara L. ‘New Gold', dissolved reactive phosphorus. Species used in this study: ‘Homestead Purple' verbena (Verbena canadensis Britton); ‘New Gold' lantana (Lantana camara L.).


Author(s):  
Sanjeet Kumar ◽  
R. K. Sahu ◽  
R. K. Thakur ◽  
Bablu Yaduwanshi ◽  
N. G. Mitra

The present study was carried out during kharif season 2019-20 at the Research Farm, Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA), to assess the effect of microbial inoculants on plant attributes and nutrients uptake by soybean in Vertisols. The experiment was laid out under randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The 15 treatments comprised of different beneficial microbial consortia in possible combinations applied as seed treatments. The crop was supplemented with recommended dose of fertilizers 20 N : 80 P2O5 : 20 K2O kg ha-1. Besides these, two control plots were maintained as fertilized un-inoculated control (FUI) and unfertilized un-inoculated control (UFUI). The findings revealed that the significant improvement were noticed by the application of consortia NPK+EM+PGPR in plant growth attributes of nodulation at 25, 45 & 65 DAS (71, 70 & 59% respectively), over control (9.5, 33.4 & 34.7 nodule plant-1) and its biomass, (62, 69 & 74% respectively),over the control  (0.58, 1.16 & 0.99 g plant-1),  plant height at 25, 45 & 65DAS were increased 61, 40, 41% respectively, over the control (16.20, 34.90 and 44.30 cm) and plant biomass, (48, 62 & 53%), over the control 1.67, 4.73 and 6.1 g plant-1. Similarly, nutrient uptake (seed & stover) were also increased at 25, 45 and 65 stages of crop growth, with 36.6, 34.8 & 51.3% in seed and 66.7, 98.2 & 67.2% in straw respectively over the control (98.5, 63.8, 5.2, and 7.4, 24.9 and 44.4 kg ha-1 respectively). Thus, it may be concluded that the consortium of NPK + EM + PGPR was superior for sustainable crop production and soil health.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1101
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong ◽  
Chau Minh Khoi ◽  
Karl Ritz ◽  
Tran Ba Linh ◽  
Dang Duy Minh ◽  
...  

Soil salinity may damage crop production. Besides proper management of irrigation water, salinity reduction can be achieved through soil amendment. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of rice husk biochar and compost amendments on alleviation of salinity and rice growth. Field experiments were conducted at two salt-affected paddy rice fields located in distinct sites for five continuous crops. Treatments, with four replicates, consisted of continuous three rice crops per year (RRR), two rice crops rotated with fallow in spring–summer crop (FRR), FRR plus compost at 3 Mg ha−1 crop−1 (FRR + Comp), and biochar at 10 Mg ha−1 crop−1 (FRR + BC). Salt contents and hydraulic properties of soils, plant biomass, and plant uptake of cations were investigated. Soil bulk density (BD), exchangeable sodium (Na+), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) were reduced remarkably by biochar application. Biochar application significantly increased other soil properties including total porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), soluble and exchangeable potassium (K+), K+/Na+ ratio, available P, and total C. Compost application also improved BD, total porosity, and available P, but not exchangeable Na+ and ESP. Total aboveground biomass of rice showed a trend of FRR + BC > FRR + Comp > FRR > RRR. Relatively higher K+ uptake and lower Na+ uptake in rice straw in FRR + BC resulted in a significant two times higher K+/Na+ ratio over other treatments. Our results highlight that biochar amendment is a beneficial option for reducing ESP and providing available K+ and P under salinity-affected P-deficient conditions, hence improving straw biomass.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grašič ◽  
Golob ◽  
Vogel-Mikuš ◽  
Gaberščik

Climate change can result in extreme droughts, significantly affecting crop production. C4 crop proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) has the lowest water consumption among all of the cereal crops. Understanding its survival mechanisms is thus crucial for agriculture. Furthermore, yield reduction does not only occur directly due to water shortage, but is also a consequence of an impaired element uptake during drought. This study aimed to examine the effect of water deficiency on proso millet leaf traits, plant biomass partition, and yield. In addition, leaf element contents were analysed, including silicon, which is an important multifunctional element for grasses. The majority of the measured parameters showed little change from the control to the moderate and severe water shortage treatments, even though the soil moisture levels differed significantly. The most pronounced reduction in comparison to the control was for leaf biomass, leaf stomatal conductance, and leaf silicon, phosphorus, calcium, and sulphur contents. Conversely, an increase was obtained for leaf potassium and chlorine contents. Panicle biomass was the same for all plant groups. Leaf silicon was positively correlated to reflectance in the UV region, while leaf calcium was negatively correlated to reflectance in the visible regions, which might prevent damage due to short-wave UV radiation and provide sufficient visible light for photosynthesis. The efficient light and water management, reduction of leaf biomass, and same-sized root system may be the mechanisms that mitigate the negative effects of water shortage in proso millet.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sławomir Dresler ◽  
Maciej Strzemski ◽  
Jozef Kováčik ◽  
Jan Sawicki ◽  
Michał Staniak ◽  
...  

The impact of long-term chronic cadmium stress (ChS, 0.1 µM Cd, 85 days) or short-term acute cadmium stress (AS, 10 µM Cd, 4 days) on Carlina acaulis (Asteraceae) metabolites was compared to identify specific traits. The content of Cd was higher under AS in all organs in comparison with ChS (130 vs. 16 µg·g−1 DW, 7.9 vs. 3.2 µg·g−1 DW, and 11.5 vs. 2.4 µg·g−1 DW in roots, leaves, and trichomes, respectively) while shoot bioaccumulation factor under ChS (ca. 280) indicates efficient Cd accumulation. High content of Cd in the trichomes from the AS treatment may be an anatomical adaptation mechanism. ChS evoked an increase in root biomass (hormesis), while the impact on shoot biomass was not significant in any treatment. The amounts of ascorbic acid and sum of phytochelatins were higher in the shoots but organic (malic and citric) acids dominated in the roots of plants from the ChS treatment. Chlorogenic acid, but not ursolic and oleanolic acids, was elevated by ChS. These data indicate that both chelation and enhancement of antioxidative power contribute to protection of plants exposed to long-term (chronic) Cd presence with subsequent hormetic effect.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma ◽  
Egamberdieva ◽  
Wirth ◽  
Bellingrath-Kimura

Nitrogen (N) in soybean (Glycine max L.) plants derived from biological nitrogen fixation was shown to be a sustainable N resource to substitute for N fertilizer. However, the limited water supply in sandy soil is a critical factor for soybean nodulation and crop growth. This study investigated the potential mechanism of the effect of biochar and irrigation on the soybean-Rhizobium symbiotic performance and soil biological activity in a field trial. In the absence of N fertilizer, 10 t ha−1 of black cherry wood-derived biochar were applied under irrigated and rainfed conditions on an experimental, sandy field site. The plant biomass, plant nutrient concentrations, nodule number, nodule leghemoglobin content, soil enzyme activities, and soil-available nutrients were examined. Our results show that biochar application caused a significant increase in the nodule number by 35% in the irrigated condition. Shoot biomass and soil fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity were significantly increased by irrigation in comparison to the rainfed condition. The activity of soil protease reduced significantly, by 8%, with the biochar application in the irrigated condition. Further, a linear correlation analysis and redundancy analysis performed on the plant, nodule, and soil variables suggested that the biochar application may affect soybean N uptake in the sandy field. Nodulation was enhanced with biochar addition, however, the plant N concentration and nodule Lb content remained unaffected.


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