Wheat growth responses to soil mechanical impedance are dependent on phosphorus supply

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Wang, X., Shen, J., Hedden, P., Phillips, A. L., Thomas, S. G., Ge, Y., Ashton, R. W. and Whalley, W. R. 2021. Wheat growth responses to soil mechanical impedance are dependent on phosphorus supply. Soil & Tillage Research. 205, p. 104754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104754

AuthorsWang, X., Shen, J., Hedden, P., Phillips, A. L., Thomas, S. G., Ge, Y., Ashton, R. W. and Whalley, W. R.
Abstract

Increased mechanical impedance induced by soil drying or compaction causes reduction in plant growth and crop yield. However, how mechanical impedance interacts with nutrient stress has been largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of mechanical impedance on the growth of wheat seedlings under contrasting phosphorus (P) supply in a sand culture system which allows the mechanical impedance to be independent of water and nutrient availability. Two wheat genotypes containing the Rht-B1a (tall) or Rht-B1c (gibberellin-insensitive dwarf) alleles in the Cadenza background were used and their shoot and root traits were determined. Mechanical impedance caused a significant reduction in plant growth under sufficient P supply, including reduced shoot and root biomass, leaf area and total root length. By contrast, under low P supply, mechanical impedance did not affect biomass, tiller number, leaf length, and nodal root number in both wheat genotypes, indicating that the magnitude of the growth restriction imposed by mechanical impedance was dependent on P supply. The interaction effect between mechanical impedance and P level was significant on most plant traits except for axial and lateral root length, suggesting an evident physical and nutritional interaction. Our findings provide valuable insights into the integrated effects of plants in response to both soil physical and nutritional stresses. Understanding the response patterns is critical for optimizing soil tillage and nutrient management in the field.

KeywordsRoot impedance; Phosphorus absorption; Triticum aestivum; Rht-1 dwarfing alleles; Gibberellin sensitivity
Year of Publication2021
JournalSoil & Tillage Research
Journal citation205, p. 104754
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104754
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeDesigning Future Wheat (DFW) [ISPG]
China: A Virtual Centre for Monitoring the Rhizosphere
Publisher's version
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright license
Rothamsted Research
Supplemental file
Copyright license
Rothamsted Research
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online05 Aug 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted21 Jul 2020
PublisherElsevier Science Bv
ISSN0167-1987

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