Abstract
The combined effect of NaCl and P on the growth of lucerne was studied in two hydroponic greenhouse experiments. NaCl concentrations were identical in each experiment (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) while external P concentrations were low (viz. 0.002, 0.02 and 0.2 mM measured as 0.006, 0.026 and 0.2 mM, respectively) in one experiment and higher (0.5 and 5.0 mM) in the second. Plant biomass was reduced more by the low P levels than by high concentrations of NaCl. A significant NaCl*P effect was found where external P concentrations were low (0.006–0.2 mM) but there was no difference in plant production between the two P concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0 mM. Shoot and root concentrations of Na and Cl increased significantly with increasing NaCl concentration in both experiments and there were some differences in the concentrations of these ions at different external P levels. At low P, NaCl had no significant effect on shoot concentrations of P; however, root P concentrations tended to decrease with increasing NaCl level. Increasing external P from 0.006 to 0.2 mM led to significant increases in P concentrations in both roots and shoots. At higher P, concentrations of P in both the shoots and the roots did not differ with external NaCl or P conditions. Our results illustrate the complex relationship that exists between NaCl and P at low P levels. We conclude that high or non-limiting concentrations of P (0.2 – 5.0 mM) do not affect lucerne's response to NaCl.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asher C J and Loneragan J F 1967 Responses of plants to phosphate concentration in solution culture. I. Growth and phosphorus content. Soil Sci. 103, 225-233.
Awad A S, Edwards D G and Campbell L C 1990 Phosphorus enhancement of salt tolerance of tomato. Crop Sci. 30, 123-128.
Bernstein L, Francois L E and Clark R A 1974 Interactive effects of salinity and fertility on yields of grains and vegetables. Agron. J. 66, 412-421.
Cerda A, Bingham F T and Hoffman G J 1977 Interactive effect of salinity and phosphorus on sesame. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 4, 915-918.
Champagnol F 1979 Relationships between phosphate nutrition of plants and salt toxicity. Phosphorus in Agric. 76, 35-43.
Gourley C J P, Allan D L and Russelle M P 1994 Plant nutrient effi-ciency: A comparison of definitions and suggested improvement. Plant Soil 158, 29-37.
Grattan S R and Grieve C M 1992 Mineral nutrient acquisition and response by plants grown in saline environments. In Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress. Ed. M Pessarakli. pp. 203-226. Marcel Dekker, New York.
Grattan S R and Grieve C M 1999 Salinity-mineral nutrient relations in horticultural crops. Sci. Hort. 78, 127-157.
Grattan S R and Maas E V 1984 Interactive effect of salinity and phosphate on ion distribution on soybean. Agron. J. 76, 668-676.
Grattan S R and Maas E V 1985 Root control of leaf phosphorus and chloride accumulation in soybean under salinity stress. Agron. J. 77, 890-895.
Greenway H and Munns R 1980 Mechanisms of salt tolerance in non halophytes. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol 31, 149-190.
James D W, Huirst C J and Tindall T A 1995 Alfalfa cultivar response to phosphorus and potassium deficiency: Elemental composition of the herbage. J. Plant Nut. 18, 2447-2464.
Johnson D W, Smith S E and Dobrenz A K 1992 Genetic and phenotypic relationships in response to NaCl at different developmental stages in alfalfa. Theor. Appl. Genet. 83, 833-838.
Karmoker J L and Van Steveninck R F M 1978 Stimulation of volume flow and ion flux by abscisic acid in excised root systems of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Redland Pioneer. Planta 141, 37-43.
Martinez V and Lauchli A 1994 Salt-induced inhibition of phosphate uptake in plants of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). New Phytol. 125, 609-614.
Navarro J M, Botella M A, Cerda A and Martinez V 2001 Phosphorus uptake and translocation in salt-stressed melon plants. J. Plant Physiol. 158, 375-381.
Papadopoulos I and Rendig V V 1983 Interactive effects of salinity and nitrogen on growth and yield of tomato plants. Plant Soil 73, 47-57.
Ravikovitch S and Yoles D 1971 The influence of phosphorus and nitrogen on millet and clover growing in soils affected by salinity. I. Plant development. Plant Soil 35, 555-567.
Rogers M E 2001 The effect of saline irrigation on lucerne production: shoot and root growth, ion relations and flowering incidence in six cultivars grown in northern Victoria, Australia. Irrig. Sci. 20(2), 55-64.
Rogers M E, Grieve C M and Shannon M C 1998 Variation in the growth of lucerne (Medicago sativa L. ) in response to sulphate salinity. Plant Soil 202, 271-280.
Sharpley A N Meisinger J J, Power J F and Suarez D L 1992 Root extraction of nutrients associated with long-term soil management. In Advances in Soil Science. Ed. B Stewart. pp. 151-217. Springer-Verlag.
Treeby M T and van Steveninck R F M 1988 Effects of salinity and phosphate on ion distribution in lupins leaflets. Physiol. Plant 73, 317-322.
Weir R G and Cresswell G C 1994 Plant Nutrient Disorders. 4. Pastures and Field Crops. pp.126. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rogers, M.E., Grieve, C.M. & Shannon, M.C. Plant growth and ion relations in lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in response to the combined effects of NaCl and P. Plant and Soil 253, 187–194 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024543215015
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024543215015