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Mycorrhizal colonisation and P-supplement effects on N uptake and N assimilation in perennial ryegrass under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions

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Abstract

To compare the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and P-supplement on N uptake and N assimilation under well-watered or drought-stressed conditions, Glomus intraradices-colonised, P-supplemented non-mycorrhizal (P) and non-mycorrhizal (control) plants of Lolium perenne were exposed to 12 days of water treatment. Leaf water potential (Ψ w), photosynthetic ability, and N and P nutritional status were measured at the beginning (day 0) and end (day 12) of water treatment. N absorption, amino acid and protein synthesis were quantified using the isotopic tracer 15N at day 12. Under well-watered conditions, growth response and physiological parameters were similar in AM and P plants, as compared to controls. Drought (10% water) significantly decreased these parameters in all three treatments. As compared to control plants, the negative impact of water deficit on the Ψ w, photosynthesis, biomass, and N and P content was highly alleviated in AM plants, while only slightly improved or remained the same level in P plants. The effect of AM symbiosis on N absorption and N assimilation was greater than that of the P supplement under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions, and this effect was highly enhanced under drought-stressed conditions. At terminal drought stress on day 12, the effect of AM colonisation on de novo synthesis of amino acids and proteins was 4.4- and 4.8-fold higher than that of the P supplement. These results indicate that the AM symbiosis plays an integrative role in N nutrition by alleviating the negative impacts of drought on N or P uptake and N assimilation, whereas the efficiency of a direct P supplement is very limited under drought-stressed conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Technology Development Program for Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Korea. We would like to thank Patrick Beauclair (photosynthesis measurement), Marie-Paule Bataillé and Raphaël Segura (IRMS analysis) for providing equipment and for technical support. We also thank Dr. Stanislav Kopriva, John Innes Centre, for helpful discussions and critical reading of the manuscript.

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  1. Bok-Rye Lee

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment-Friendly Agriculture Research Center (EFARC), Department of Animal Science, Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, College of Agriculture & Life Science, Chonnam National University, Buk-Gwangju, P.O. Box 205, Gwangju, 500-600, South Korea

    Bok-Rye Lee, Sowbiya Muneer & Tae-Hwan Kim

  2. INRA, UMR, INRA–UCBN, Écophysiologie Végétale, Agronomie et nutritions NCS, Institut de Biologie Fondamentale et Appliquée, Université de Caen, 14032, Caen Cedex, France

    Jean-Christophe Avice

  3. Environment-Friendly Agriculture Research Center (EFARC), Division of Applied Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Agriculture Science Technology, College of Agriculture & Life Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea

    Woo-Jin Jung

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  1. Bok-Rye Lee
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Correspondence to Tae-Hwan Kim.

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Lee, BR., Muneer, S., Avice, JC. et al. Mycorrhizal colonisation and P-supplement effects on N uptake and N assimilation in perennial ryegrass under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Mycorrhiza 22, 525–534 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-012-0430-6

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