Abstract
Purpose
Biogas slurry is increasingly used as crop fertilizer. Previous researches focused on the relationships between aboveground and root growth under biogas slurry application, with little attention to root exudates. The aims of this study were to investigate the influences of biogas slurry application on the quantity and composition of root exudates and their correlations with plant growth.
Methods
Four application levels of biogas slurry were performed according to total N of 0, 120, 240, and 480 kg ha−1 (N0, N120, N240, and N480). The labile organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sugar and organic acids in root exudates were quantified at four growth stages (seedling, bolting, flowering, and ripening) of oilseed rape.
Results
Biogas slurry at N480 significantly increased plant height, branch height, branch number, pod number, pod length, and yield, but it had little influence on root morphology. Biogas slurry significantly decreased root C and N exudation at bolting. Organic acid exudation at bolting and flowering stages in N480 decreased by 44% and 81% compared to control, respectively. C, N exudation at bolting, organic acids at bolting and flowering stages were negatively linearly correlated with the application rate of biogas slurry. C, N, and organic acid exudation at bolting and flowering showed negatively correlations with inflorescence length, pod number and length.
Conclusion
Biogas slurry reduced root exudation rates and retained more C and N to improve reproductive growth, promoting the increase in yield. The results improve our understanding of the role of root exudates in plant development.
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Funding
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32060339), Guizhou forestry scientific research project (J[2018]06), Guizhou Science and Technology Basic Research Project ([2020]1Y191; ZK[2022]146), Construction Program of Biology First-class Discipline in Guizhou (GNYL[2017]009), and Talent introduction project of Guizhou University ([2017]68).
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Qingxia Zhao, Tao Zhang, Jianbo Cheng contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Yinmei Cai, Fangfang Sun, Xinying Li, Chengfu Zhang. Data analysis and the first draft of the manuscript was written by Qingxia Zhao. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Zhao, Q., Cheng, J., Zhang, T. et al. Biogas slurry increases the reproductive growth of oilseed rape by decreasing root exudation rates at bolting and flowering stages. Plant Soil 482, 369–384 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05696-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05696-8