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Light intensity influence maize adaptation to low P stress by altering root morphology

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Abstract

Background and aims

Soil phosphorus (P) availability, as well as shoot P status, may alter root morphology. However, how root morphological traits to light intensity under various P environments remains unknown.

Methods

Maize (Zea mays L.) cultivar CD418 grew under nine P application rates (ranged from 0 to 300 mg P kg−1 soil, supplied as KH2PO4) under natural light intensity (NL) and low light intensity (LL, 40% of natural light intensity) in a naturally-lit rain-shed. Plant growth, P uptake, and responses of root morphological traits (i.e. total root length, root surface area, and proportion of <0.2 mm diameter fine root) in the light and P treatments were assessed after 36 d of growth (five-leaf stage).

Results

Shoot and root dry weights increased under the natural light intensity in all P treatments. The ratio of root to shoot dry weight increased under NL when the soil Olsen-P was below 15.9 mg kg−1. At relatively low soil P availability (6.7 to 15.9 mg kg−1), total root length, root surface area, and fine root percentage were enhanced with increases in light intensity from LL to NL. These effects diminished in soil with either severely low P (2.6 mg kg−1) or excess P (above 20.6 mg kg−1). Express of the low P-tolerance transcription factor ZmPTF1 (that influences root growth by regulating carbon metabolism in leaves and roots), P uptake, and fertilizer P use efficiency were higher under NL than LL, especially under low P conditions (Olsen-P 6.7–15.9 mg kg−1). Increased responses of root morphological traits to low P conditions were associated with relatively low P concentrations in the leaves and high sucrose concentrations in the roots.

Conclusions

Compared to LL, under P deficiency and NL conditions, maize allocated more photosynthates to roots as sucrose, which acts as a low-P signal; in addition, sucrose as a carbon and energy source stimulated root growth and, consequently, adaptation of maize to low P stress.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300109-3) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (31771728 and 31671626).

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  1. Tao Zhou and Li Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China

    Tao Zhou, Li Wang, Xin Sun, Xiaochun Wang, Weiguo Liu & Wenyu Yang

  2. The UWA Institute of Agriculture, School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Tao Zhou, Yinglong Chen & Zed Rengel

  3. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling, 712100, Shanxi, China

    Yinglong Chen

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  1. Tao Zhou
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Zhou, T., Wang, L., Sun, X. et al. Light intensity influence maize adaptation to low P stress by altering root morphology. Plant Soil 447, 183–197 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04259-8

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