Abstract
Twenty-three provenances of Gliricidia sepium and eleven isolines of Leucaena leucocephala were examined at a low and at high phosphate levels (20 and 80 mg P kg-1 soil) for growth, phosphate (P) uptake and use efficiency. Large differences in growth at the low P level, and in growth response to the higher P rate occurred among L. leucocephala isolines and G. sepium provenances. Shoot dry weight at low P varied from 1.30 to 3.01 g plant-1 for L. leucocephala and from 1.44 to 3.07 g plant-1 for G. sepium.
Leucaena isolines had only half the root weight of G. sepium provenances yet produced approximately 90% of the shoot weight of the corresponding G. sepium treatments, i.e. more than a 2-fold difference in root/shoot ratios. Total P in shoots of G. sepium was some 85% greater than of the respective L. leucocephala isolines in corresponding treatments. Physiological phosphate use efficiency (g shoot/mg P in shoots) (PPUE) was not a simple reciprocal relation, being markedly lower at higher shoot % P and content. However, for the same shoot P both species produced the same shoot weight. Nevertheless, there were apparent genotypic differences within species in the root development, shoot P and PPUE.
In another study, the numbers of rhizobia in the rhizosphere of L. leucocephala, nodulation, N2 fixation at five different levels of P were determined. The numbers of rhizobia in the rhizosphere of inoculated L. leucocephala during the first two weeks were lower when P was added but later became similar to those without added P. Nodules formed earlier than inoculated plants fertilized with P and in greater numbers (4- to 5-fold) and dry weights than in those without P. However, the percentage of N2 derived from fixation did not change with increasing levels of P application. These results suggest that the observed P effect did not operate via stimulated growth of rhizobia in the rhizosphere, nor through increased N2 fixation rate. The major effect appeared to be due to effects via plant growth.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atta-Krah, A N 1987 Variability in initial growth and leaf coloration in relation to initiation of nodulation in uninoculated accessions of Gliricidia sepium (JACQ) Steud. Nitrogen Fixing Tree Research Reports 5, 39–41.
Bastan, C J 1948 Photometric analysis of phosphate rocks. Anal. Chem. 20, 1068–1073.
Bowen, G D 1969 Nutrient status effects on loss of amides and amino acids from pine roots. Plant and Soil 30, 139–142.
Caradus, J R 1980 Distinguishing between grass and legume species for efficiency of phosphorus use. N.Z. J. Agric. Res. 23, 75–81.
Diem, H G and Gauthier, D L 1982 Effect de l'infection endomycorrhizienne (Glomus mosseae) sur la nodulation et la croissance de Casuarina equisetifolia, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 294 ser. 3, 215–218.
Fiedler, R and Proksch, G 1975 The determination of nitrogen-15 by emission and mass spectrometry in biochemical analysis: A review. Anal. Chim. Acta 78, 1–62.
Fleming, A I, Williams, E R and Turnbull, J W 1988 Growth, nodulation and nitrogen fixation of provenances of Casuarina cunninghamiana inoculated with a range of Frankia sources. Aust. J. Bot. 36, 171–181.
Fried, M and Middleboe, V 1977 Measurement of amount of nitrogen fixed by a legume crop. Plant and Soil 47, 713–715.
Graham, J H, Leonard, R T and Menge, J A 1981 Membrane mediated decrease in root exudation responsible for phosphorus inhibition of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza formation. Plant Physiol. 68, 548–552.
Mohan, R and Blane, K 1985 Statistical Programmes for Microcomputers. University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Reddell, P, Rosbrook, P A, Bowen, G D and Gwaze, D 1988 Growth responses in Casuarina cunninghamiana plantings to inoculation with Frankia. Plant and Soil 108, 79–86.
Robson, A D 1983 Mineral nutrition. In Nitrogen Fixation of Legumes. Ed. W JBroughton. pp 37–55. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Salinas, J G and Sanchez, P A 1976 Soil-plant relationships affecting varietal and species differences in tolerance to low available phosphorus. Ciencia e Cultura 28, 156–168.
Sanginga, N, Mulongoy, K and Ayanaba, A 1988 Response of Leucaena/Rhizobium symbiosis to mineral nutrient in Southwestern Nigerian. Plant and Soil 112, 121–127.
Sanginga, N, Bowen, G D and Danso, S K A 1989 Nodulation and growth response of Allocasuarina and Casuarina species to phosphorus fertilization. Plant and Soil 118, 125–132.
Sanginga, N, Bowen, G D and Danso, S K A 1990 Assessment of genetic variability for N2 fixation between and within provenances of Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia albida estimated by 15N labelling techniques. Plant and Soil 127, 169–178.
Sanginga N, Bowen G D and Danso S K A 1990b Genetic variability in symbiotic nitrogen fixation within and between provenances of two Casuarina species using the 15N labelling methods. Soil Biol. Biochem. (In press).
Sniezko, R A 1987 Range-wide provenance variation in nodulation of Acacia albida seedlings. Nitrogen Fixing Tree Research Reports 5, 20–22.
Sougoufara, B, Duhoux, E and Dommergues, Y R 1987 Improvement of nitrogen fixation by Casuarian equisetifolia through clonal selection. Arid Soil Res. Rehabil. 1, 129–132.
Sougoufara B, Danso S K A, Diem H G and Dommergues Y R 1989 Estimating N2 fixation and N derived from soil by Casuarina equisetifolia using 15N fertilizer: Some problems and solutions. Soil Biol. Biochem. (In Press).
Vincent, J M 1970 A Manual for the Practical Study of the Root Nodule Bacteria. IBP Handbook No. 15. Blackwell, Oxford.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sanginga, N., Bowen, G.D. & Danso, S.K.A. Intra-specific variation in growth and P accumulation of Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium as influenced by soil phosphate status. Plant Soil 133, 201–208 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009192
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009192