Abstract
It is known that the calcium (Ca) requirement of the pods of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea (L.)) will be met by direct uptake of this element by the subterrean pods from the soil. In bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.), however, some plants have been found to develop some of their pods above-ground. This suggests that the Ca supply of bambara groundnut pods deviates from that in groundnut. Therefore, to elucidate the Ca nutrition of bambara groundnut, with particular emphasis on the supply and internal distribution of Ca within the pod, three experiments were conducted consecutively, in which Ca supply to the roots and pods of bambara groundnut was varied independently using a “double-pot technique”. It appeared that calcium supplied to the podding medium was not taken up by the pods. Hence the pods are completely dependent on Ca taken up by the roots. The total Ca accumulated in hull and seed was found to be related to the dry matter mass of each of the two pod compartments. It was found that the amount of Ca accumulated in the pods was low compared with that of leaves. Within the pods, the calcium concentration in hulls was significantly higher than that of the seed. In all cases calcium concentrations in the seed were extremely low, even when external Ca supply was abundant. This suggests that in bambara groundnut, Ca transport from the hull to the seed is the most limiting step in the supply of Ca to the seed.
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van der Straten, M., Keltjens, W.G., Okoboi, A.C. et al. The calcium nutrition of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.). Plant Soil 176, 229–234 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011786
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011786