Understanding phosphorus status and P translocation within wheat plant in a split-root system

Abstract

Plants are not uniform in their nutritional requirements, most of them survive under adverse conditions of humidity, temperature, and nutrients. Because they are genetically adapted to their habitats and even some varieties of the same species show differences in absorption, translocation, accumulation and nutrient use. This study is aimed at examining the phosphorus (P) status in the different parts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plant and its influence on plant growth and P translocation in a split-root soil culture. KH2PO4 was used as the source of phosphorus for the different level of P application. Two recently BARI developed wheat varieties namely BARI GOM 25 and BARI GOM 26 were used as testing plants. . Result showed the growth parameter increased with the increase of P application. Likewise, P uptake by wheat plant also increases with the elevated P application. However, no significant differences were observed between wheat varieties irrespective of growth and P uptake by wheat plant. Moreover, elevated P concentrations in the shoot of wheat plants probably provide more P for shoot unloading of P and for P assimilation in the controlled roots. This phenomenon results in increased P concentrations in the roots of wheat plants that mean translocation of P in the roots. These findings indicate that the added soluble P increases the absorption of nutrients from the soil solution. So, this study concluded that the application of elevated P in split-root system is efficient both for increasing shoot development and root growth and plays significant role in thePtranslocationwithin the wheat plants.

Keywords

• Phosphorus uptake
• P use efficiency
• P translocation
• xylem
• phloem.