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Calcium-mediated adaptive responses to low phosphorus stress in Chinese fir

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Ca2+ induces adaptive response to low P stress through increased root growth and expansion, but plays minor or no role in remobilization of P in leaf tissues or in maintaining membrane integrity.

Abstract

The role of calcium (Ca2+) in signaling environmental stress has been demonstrated; however, its role in signaling low phosphorus (P) stress and subsequent adaptive responses in trees are largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Ca2+ application on root growth and expansion, seedling growth, remobilization of P, and maintaining membrane integrity in leaf tissues. Thus, a sand culture experiment was set up with five Ca2+ concentrations (0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 mmol/L Ca(NO3)2·4H2O) under two P treatments (0.0 and 1.0 mmol/L KH2PO4). After 4 months, growth attributes, P and Ca2+ accumulations, and biochemical responses were determined. Results showed that (1) low P seedlings supplied with 5 mmol/L Ca2+ produced longer roots, larger root surface area, higher root diameter, and larger root volume than the control; (2) seedling height and root collar diameter were positively affected by addition of 3 and 5 mmol/L Ca2+ into the growing media, and whole plant biomass of low P seedlings supplied with 5 mmol/L Ca2+ was significantly higher than the control; (3) whole plant P accumulation was higher in 3 and 5 mmol/L Ca2+ treatments in low P seedlings, whereas whole plant Ca2+ accumulation increased linearly with increasing Ca2+ concentration; and (4) the effects of Ca2+ on malondialdehyde and soluble protein contents and acid phosphatase activity did not show consistent trend with increasing or decreasing Ca2+ concentration. In conclusion, Ca2+ induces adaptive response to low P stress through increased root growth and expansion, but plays minor or no role in remobilization of P in leaf tissues or in maintaining membrane integrity.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870614, 31600502, and 30970451) and Science and Technology Major Project of Fujian Province, China (2018NZ0001-1). We thank Fujian agriculture and forestry university scholarship program (to M.H.U.R and T.H.F) for international students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Haroon U. Rashid, Mulualem Tigabu, Haifeng Chen, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Xiangqing Ma & Pengfei Wu

  2. Fujian Provincial Colleges and University Engineering Research Center of Plantation Sustainable Management, Fuzhou, 350002, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Haroon U. Rashid, Haifeng Chen, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Xiangqing Ma & Pengfei Wu

  3. Southern Swedish Forest Research Center, Faculty of Forest Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 49, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden

    Mulualem Tigabu

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  1. Muhammad Haroon U. Rashid
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  2. Mulualem Tigabu
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  3. Haifeng Chen
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  4. Taimoor Hassan Farooq
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  5. Xiangqing Ma
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  6. Pengfei Wu
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Correspondence to Pengfei Wu.

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Communicated by Resco de Dios.

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Rashid, M.H.U., Tigabu, M., Chen, H. et al. Calcium-mediated adaptive responses to low phosphorus stress in Chinese fir. Trees 34, 825–834 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01961-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01961-4

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