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Assessment of leaf ultrastructure offers insights into mechanisms regulating sugarcane performance under low-phosphorus stress

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Abstract

Detailed studies of plant responses to phosphorus (P) deficiency might reveal opportunities to improve sugarcane performance under nutrient stress, termed as P use efficiency. Then, we aimed through transmission electron microscopy to offer insights into the effects of varying P supply on leaf ultrastructural traits influencing photosynthesis and leaf area formation. Plants of the genotype RB86-7515 were cultivated under varying nutrient supply (0.0125, 0.05, 0.2 and 0.8 mM P) for 4 months. Diagnostic mature leaves were sampled to evaluate ultrastructural organization and P concentration. Leaf area and plant dry mass responded positively to increasing P rates and maximum values were attained at 0.55 mM P. Leaf P concentration increased as a function of nutrient supply, and the greatest area of diagnostic leaf and whole plant growth was associated with 1.80 g kg−1 P. Under severe deficiency (relative growth ≤ 30% and leaf P ≤ 0.90 g kg−1) generated with 0.0125- and 0.05-mM P, transmission electron microscopy revealed pronounced damages to leaf ultrastructure. In mesophyll cells, the changes were more intense under the lowest P rate, and included disintegration of the middle lamella, collapse of plasma membrane and distortion of thylakoids. Bundle sheath chloroplasts of the severely P-deficient plants exhibited, compared with those under 0.2- and 0.8-mM P, disorganization of lamellar membrane system. Collectively, these ultrastructural alterations offer insights into how P deficiency affects whole plant photosynthetic capacity and provide possible target traits at canopy level related to sugarcane P use efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially funded by the São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP-Brazil, Grant# 2016/14058-9).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Solos e Recursos Ambientais, Instituto Agronômico (IAC), P.O. Box 28, Campinas, SP, 13020-902, Brazil

    Fernando C. B. Zambrosi

  2. Departamento de Fitopatolgia, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), P.O. Box 09, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil

    Geisa L. Mesquita & Francisco A. O. Tanaka

Authors
  1. Fernando C. B. Zambrosi
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  2. Geisa L. Mesquita
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  3. Francisco A. O. Tanaka
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Correspondence to Fernando C. B. Zambrosi.

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Communicated by P. Wojtaszek.

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Zambrosi, F.C.B., Mesquita, G.L. & Tanaka, F.A.O. Assessment of leaf ultrastructure offers insights into mechanisms regulating sugarcane performance under low-phosphorus stress. Acta Physiol Plant 42, 54 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-020-03052-w

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