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Narrowing down molecular targets for improving phosphorus-use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.)

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Abstract

Conventional agricultural practices rely heavily on chemical fertilizers to boost production. Among the fertilizers, phosphatic fertilizers are copiously used to ameliorate low-phosphate availability in the soil. However, phosphorus-use efficiency (PUE) for major cereals, including maize, is less than 30%; resulting in more than half of the applied phosphate being lost to the environment. Rock phosphate reserves are finite and predicted to exhaust in near future with the current rate of consumption. Thus, the dependence of modern agriculture on phosphatic fertilizers poses major food security and sustainability challenges. Strategies to optimize and improve PUE, like genetic interventions to develop high PUE cultivars, could have a major impact in this area. Here, we present the current understanding and recent advances in the biological phenomenon of phosphate uptake, translocation, and adaptive responses of plants under phosphate deficiency, with special reference to maize. Maize is one of the most important cereal crops that is cultivated globally under diverse agro-climatic conditions. It is an industrial, feed and food crop with multifarious uses and a fast-rising global demand and consumption. The interesting aspects of diversity in the root system architecture traits, the interplay between signaling pathways contributing to PUE, and an in-depth discussion on promising candidate genes for improving PUE in maize are elaborated.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF/GTR-5004/2015-16/204) for financial support. AKJ acknowledges ICAR-IIMR support in the form of YP fellowship under the in-house project (Project Code: AR:DMR:16:02).

Funding

National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF/GTR-5004/2015–16/204).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Delhi Unit Office, ICAR - Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Krishan Kumar, Abhishek Kumar Jha & Bhupender Kumar

  2. ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Pranjal Yadava

  3. ICAR - Indian Institute of Maize Research, PAU Campus, Ludhiana, 141004, India

    Mamta Gupta, Mukesh Choudhary & Sujay Rakshit

  4. School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Mukesh Choudhary

  5. Mountain Research Center for Field Crops, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Khudwani, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Shabir Hussain Wani

  6. Dryland Agriculture Research Station, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Srinagar, Khudwani, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Zahoor Ahmed Dar

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  1. Krishan Kumar
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  2. Pranjal Yadava
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  3. Mamta Gupta
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  4. Mukesh Choudhary
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  5. Abhishek Kumar Jha
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  6. Shabir Hussain Wani
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  7. Zahoor Ahmed Dar
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  8. Bhupender Kumar
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  9. Sujay Rakshit
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Contributions

KK conceptualized the idea; KK, MC, and MG collected literature and prepared the preliminary draft, which was edited and improved by PY, SHW, ZAD, BK, and SR. KK and AKJ prepared figures.

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Correspondence to Krishan Kumar or Sujay Rakshit.

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Kumar, K., Yadava, P., Gupta, M. et al. Narrowing down molecular targets for improving phosphorus-use efficiency in maize (Zea mays L.). Mol Biol Rep 49, 12091–12107 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07679-5

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