Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Localised nitrate and phosphate application enhances root proliferation by wheat and maximises rhizosphere alkalisation in acid subsoil

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The soil pH in the vicinity of the roots can be changed by an imbalance in supply of predominant anions or cations. A soil column experiment examined the effects of localised supply of nitrate and P on plant growth and pH change in a Podosol (pH 3.76 in 0.01 M CaCl2 and pH buffering capacity 0.81 cmol kg−1 pH−1). Nitrate [(Ca(NO3)2] and P [(NaH2PO4)] fertilizers were applied alone or in combination to either 0–5 cm or 10–15 cm layer of the soil column. Aluminium-tolerant (ET8) and sensitive (ES8) wheat (Triticum aestivum, L) were grown for 38 days. Plant height, water use and tiller number were measured during the growth period. Biomass production, root growth and soil pH were determined at the final harvest. On average, ET8 had a greater shoot biomass, root length and water use than ES8. The greatest shoot biomass and water use were achieved where N and P were applied together in the 0–5 cm layer, followed by N and P together in the 10–15 cm layer and the lowest where N was applied in the 0–5 cm and P in the 10–15 cm layer. Root length density in the subsoil was greatest where N and P were applied together followed by N alone, and the lowest with the supply of P alone. The effect of localised supply was greater on rhizosphere pH than bulk soil pH. The application of N and P together in topsoil and subsoil layers increased rhizosphere pH by 0.4 and 0.5 units respectively, compared to the corresponding layers in the treatment where N and P were applied uniformly in the whole soil column. Changes in rhizosphere pH were similar under both genotypes, although ET8 produced more roots than ES8 in the soil profile. The results suggest that the combined application of nitrate and P is necessary to maximise root proliferation and root-induced alkalisation in acid subsoil.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • Adams F, Moore BL (1983) Chemical factors affecting root growth in subsoil horizons of coastal plain soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 47:99–102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ahlrichs JL, Duncan RR, Ejeta E, Hill PR, Baligar VC, Wright RJ, Hanna WW (1991) Pearl millet and sorghum tolerance to aluminium in acid soils. In: Wright RJ, Baligar VC, Murramann RP (eds) Plant–Soil Interactions at pH. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 947–952

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagayoko MSA, Neumann G, Buerkert A (2000) Root induced increases in soil pH and nutrient availability in field-grown cereals and legumes on acid sandy soils of Sudano-Sahelian West Africa. Plant Soil 225:117–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carr SJ, Ritchie GSP (1994) Interacting effects of topsoil water and nitrogen supply on subsoil aluminium toxicity. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 25:3335–3355

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell JD (1963) The estimation of phosphorus fertilizer requirements of wheat in southern New South Wales by soil analysis. Aust J Exp Agric Anim Husb 3:190–197

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conyers MK, Poile GJ, Cullis BR (1991) Lime responses by barley as related to available soil aluminium and manganese. Aust J Agric Res 42:379–390

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conyers MK, Mullen CL, Scott BJ, Braysher BD (2003) Long term benefits of limestone application to soil profiles and to cereal crop yields in southern and central NSW. Aust J Exp Agric 43:71–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coventry DR (1992) Acidification problems of duplex soils used for crop-pasture rotations. Aust J Exp Agric 32:901–914

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford DM, Parnell CD, Maheswaran J (1995) Acidification of subsurface soils under pastures in Victoria, Australia. In: Date RA, Grunden NJ, Rayment GE, Probert ME (eds) Plant-Soil Interactions at pH: Principles and Management. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 467–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Delhazie E, Ryan PR (1995) Aluminium toxicity and tolerance in plants. Plant Physiol 107:315–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Delhaize E, Craig S, Beaton CD, Bennet RJ, Jagadish VC, Randall PJ (1993) Aluminum tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). I. Uptake and distribution of aluminum in root apices. Plant Physiol 103:683–693

    Google Scholar 

  • Drew MC (1975) Comparison of the effects of a localized supply of phosphate, nitrate, ammonium and potassium on the growth of the seminal root system and the shoot in barley. New Phytol 75:479–490

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drew MC, Saker LR (1978) Nutrient supply and the growth of the seminal root system in barley. III. Compensatory increases in growth of lateral roots and in rates of phosphate uptake in response to localized supply of phosphate. J Exp Bot 29:435–451

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drew MC, Saker LR, Ashley TW (1973) Nutrient supply and the growth of seminal root system in barley. I. The effect of nitrate concentration on the growth of axes and laterals. J Exp Bot 24:1189–1202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forde BG (2002) Local and long-range signalling pathways regulating plant responses to nitrate. Ann Rev Plant Biol 53:203–224

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forde B, Lorenzo H (2001) The nutritional control of root development. Plant Soil 232:51–68

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garvin DF, Carver BF (2003) Role of Genotype in tolerance to acidity and aluminium toxicity. In: Rengel Z (ed) Handbook of Soil Acidity. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 387–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilker ER, Weil RR, Donald TK, Momen B (2002) Eastern Gamagrass root penetration in adverse subsoil conditions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:931–938

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hackett C (1972) A method of applying nutrients locally to roots under controlled conditions, and some morphological effects of locally applied nitrate on branching of wheat roots. Aust J Biol Sci 25:1169–1180

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Y, Liao H, Yan X (2003) Localised supply of phosphorus induces root morphological and architectural changes of rice in split and stratified soil cultures. Plant Soil 248:247–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helyar KR (1991) The management of acid soils. In: Wright RJ, Baligar VC, Murramann RP (eds) Plant-Soil Interactions at pH. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 365–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinsinger P, Plassard C, Tang C, Jaillard B (2003) Origins of root mediated pH changes in rhizosphere and their responses to environmental constrains: A review. Plant Soil 248:43–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge A (2004) The plastic plant: root responses to heterogeneous supplies of nutrients. New Phytol 162:9–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis SC, Robson AD (1983) A comparison of cation/anion balance of ten cultivars of Trifolium subterraneum L. and their effects on soil acidity. Plant Soil 75:235–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kinraide TB (2003) Toxicity factors in acidic forest soils: attempts to evaluate separately the toxic effects of excessive Al3+and H+ and insufficient Ca2+ and Mg2+ upon root elongation. European J Soil Sci 54:323–333

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linkohr BI, Williamson LC, Fitter AH, Leyser HMO (2002) Nitrate and phosphate availability and distribution have different effects on root system architecture of Arabidopsis. Plant J 29:751–760

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marschner H (1991) Mechanisms of adaptation of plants to acid soils. In: Wright RJ, Baligar VC, Murramann RP (eds) Plant–Soil Interactions at pH, 1991. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 683–702

    Google Scholar 

  • Marschner H (1995) Mineral nutrition of higher plants. Academic Press, London, p 889

    Google Scholar 

  • Mengel K, Kirkby EA, Kosegrten H, Appel T (2001) Principles of plant nutrition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, p 849

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyasaka SC, Buta JG, Howell RK, Foy CD (1991) Mechanism of aluminium tolerance in snapbean: root exudation of citric acid. Plant Physiol 96:737–743

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moody PW, Aitken RL, Yo SA, Edwards DG, Bell LC (1995) Effect of banded fertilizers on soil solution composition and short-term root growth I. Ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate. Aust J Soil Res 33:673–687

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann G, Römheld V (2002) Root induced changes in the availability of nutrients in the rhizosphere. In: Waisel Y, Eshel A, Kafkafi U (eds) Plant roots: The hidden half, 3rd edn. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 617–650

    Google Scholar 

  • Noble AD, Bramley RGV, Wood AW (1987) Sugarcane and soil acidity—why should we be worried? In Proceedings of Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologies, pp 187–199

  • Parfitt RL, Childs CW (1988) Estimation of forms of Fe and Al: A review, and analysis of contrasting soils by dissolution and Moessbaurer methods. Aust J Soil Res 26:121–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pellet DM, Papernik LA, Kochian LV (1996) Multiple aluminium resistance mechanisms in wheat: roles of root apical phosphate and malate exudation. Plant Physiol 112:437–450

    Google Scholar 

  • Philipson JJ, Coutts MP (1977) The influence of mineral nutrition on the root development of trees. II. The effect of specific nutrient elements on the growth of individual roots of Sitka spruce. J Exp Bot 28:864–871

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pinkerton A, Simpson RJ (1986) Responses of some crop plants to correction of subsoil acidity. Aust J Exp Agric 26:107–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poss R, Smith CJ, Dunin FX, Angus JF (1995) Rate of soil acidification under wheat in a semi-arid environment. Plant Soil 177:85–100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (1994) Tansley Review No. 73 The responses of plants to non-uniform supplies of nutrients. New Phytol 127:635–674

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (1996) Resource capture by localised root proliferation: Why do plants bother? Ann Bot 77:179–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D, Linehan DJ, Gordon DC (1994) Capture of nitrate from soil by wheat in relation to root length, nitrogen inflow and availability. New Phytol 128:297–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Romulo SCM, Gascho GJ, Hanna WW, Cabrera ML, Hook JE (1997) Subsoil nitrate uptake by grain pearl millet. Agron J 89:189–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sargeant M, Sale P, Tang C (2006) Salt priming improves establishment of Distichlis spicata under saline conditions. Aust J Agric Res 57:1259–1265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scheible W, Lauerer M, Schulze E, Caboche M, Stitt M (1997) Accumulation of nitrate in the shoot acts as a signal to regulate shoot-root allocation in tobacco. Plant J 11:671–691

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott BJ, Conyers MK, Poile GJ, Cullis BR (1997) Subsurface acidity and liming affect yield of cereals. Aust J Agric Res 48:843–854

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searle PL (1984) The berthelot or indophenol reaction and its use in the analytical chemistry of nitrogen. Analyst 109:549–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson DR, Lipsett J (1973) Effects of surface moisture supply on subsoil nutritional requirements of lucerne (Medicargo sativa L.). Aust J Agric Res 24:199–209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson RJ, Pinkerton A, Lazdovskis J (1977) Effects of subsoil calcium on the root growth of some lucerne genotypes (Medicargo sativa L.) in acidic soil profiles. Aust J Agric Res 28:629–638

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith CJ, Peoples MB, Keerthisinghe G, James TR, Garden DL, Tuomi SS (1994) Effect of surface application of lime, gypsum and phosphogypsum on the alleviating of surface and subsurface acidity in a soil under pasture. Aust J Soil Res 32:995–1008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sumner ME (1995) Amelioration subsoil acidity with minimum disturbance. In: Jayawardene NS, Stewart BA (eds) Subsoil management techniques. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, pp 147–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun H, Zhang F, Li L, Tang C (2002) The morphological changes of wheat genotypes as affected by the levels of localised phosphate supply. Plant Soil 245:233–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Rengel Z (2003) Role of plant cation/anion uptake ratio in soil acidification. In: Rengel Z (ed) Handbook of soil acidity. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 57–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Unkovich MJ, Bowden JW (1999) Factors affecting soil acidification under legumes. III. Acid production by N2-fixing legumes as influenced by nitrate supply. New Physiol 143:513–521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Raphael C, Rengel Z, Bowden JW (2000) Understanding subsoil acidification: effect of nitrogen transformation and nitrate leaching. Aust J Soil Res 38:837–849

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Diatloff E, Rengel Z, McGann B (2001) Growth response to subsurface soil acidity of wheat genotypes differing in aluminium tolerance. Plant Soil 236:1–10

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Rengel Z, Abrecht D, Tennant D (2002) Aluminium-tolerant wheat uses more water and yields higher than aluminium-sensitive one on a sandy soil with subsurface acidity. Field Crop Res 78:93–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesfaye M, Temple SJ, Allan DL, Vance CP, Samac D (2001) Overexpression of malate dehydrogenase in transgenic alfalfa enhances organic acid synthesis and confers tolerance to aluminium. Plant Physiol 127:1836–1844

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trapeznikov VK, Ivanov II, Kudoyarova GR (2003) Effect of heterogeneous distribution of nutrients on root growth, ABA content and drought resistance of wheat plants. Plant Soil 252:207–214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valizadeh GR, Rengel Z, Rate AW (2002) Role of phosphorus fertilizer banding and the ratio of nitrate ammonium on the uptake of phosphorus and wheat growth: A glasshouse study. Aust J Exp Agric 42:1095–1102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Beusichem ML, Kirkby EA, Bass R (1988) Influence of nitrate and ammonium nutrition and the uptake, assimilation and distribution of nutrients in Ricinus communis. Plant Physiol 86:914–921

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walkley A, Black IA (1934) An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci Plant Nutri 34:29–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams CH, Simpson DR (1965) Some effects of cultivation and water logging on the availability of phosphorus in pasture soils. Aust J Agric Res 16:413–427

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan F, Schubert S, Mengel K (1992) Effect of root medium pH on net proton release, root respiration, and root growth of corn (Zea mays L.) and broad bean (Vicia faba L.). Plant Physiol 99:415–421

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Forde BG (1998) An Arabidopsis MADS box gene that controls nutrient-induced changes in root architecture. Science 279:407–409

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Forde BG (2000) Regulation of Arabidopsis root development by nitrate availability. J Exp Bot 51:51–59

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Jennings A, Bar PW, Forde BG (1999) Dual pathway for regulation of root branching by nitrate. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:6529–6534

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Australian Research Council for financial support, Bob Domazet for providing the soil, Samintha Pathirana for assistance in plant harvesting and soil sampling, and Joe Edwards for technical assistance in laboratory.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora (Melbourne), Victoria, 3086, Australia

    C. Weligama, C. Tang & P. W. G. Sale

  2. NSW Department of Primary Industries (EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation), Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, PMB, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia

    M. K. Conyers & D. L. Liu

Authors
  1. C. Weligama
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Tang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. W. G. Sale
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. K. Conyers
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. L. Liu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Tang.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Tim Simon George.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Weligama, C., Tang, C., Sale, P.W.G. et al. Localised nitrate and phosphate application enhances root proliferation by wheat and maximises rhizosphere alkalisation in acid subsoil. Plant Soil 312, 101–115 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9581-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9581-9

Keywords