Interspecific phosphorus facilitation in the cluster root rhizosphere: from natural to agricultural ecosystems
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is a limited resource and an important plant macronutrient characterized by low bioavailability in soils. Therefore, strong ecological and socioeconomic interest exists to increase P use efficiency of agricultural practices and crop species. Cluster roots are specialized structures with an extraordinary P mobilization and acquisition efficiency. This project aims at understanding how P is shared among cluster-rooted and non-cluster rooted plant species in natural and agricultural contexts. When a non-cluster rooted species grows next to a plant that builds those bottle-brush-like root structures, P facilitation may occur, during which the neighboring species benefits of the P mobilized by cluster roots. As the lifetime of cluster roots is restricted to several days, it seems necessary that neighboring species direct their root growth in order to profit of cluster root activity. How this precision in root placement is achieved remains unknown. In contrast to current crop species and model plants, which are well adapted to P rich environments, cluster-rooted species evolved in P poor habitats. Some of the world’s most P impoverished habitats are found in the Southwest Australian Ecoregion, where cluster-rooted and non-cluster rooted species evolved next to each other. The aim of this project is (i) to determine whether and how non-cluster rooted native Australian species sense the emergence of cluster roots in their neighborhood to direct root growth and (ii) to evaluate the relevance of the identified processes in an agricultural intercropping system consisting of non-cluster rooted wheat and cluster-rooted white lupin. For this purpose multispecies rhizobox experiments and bioassays involving cluster root exudates will be used to determine whether neighboring species direct root growth in response to cluster root emergence. Second, an in-depth analysis of the wheat secreted rhizospheric proteins will be performed to understand systemic changes in response to neighbors or varying P availability. This proteomic information will also be used to design a targeted mass spectrometric assay for the relative quantification of wheat P mobilizing enzymes, which will help in identifying the organismal contribution to overall phosphatase activity in soil. Finally, two dimensional chemical imaging techniques will be used to determine the spatiotemporal dynamics of P facilitation between wheat and lupin plants and evaluate the previously identified processes in intercropping. This project will increase our understanding of direct and indirect root-root interactions in plant communities. It will reveal new insights into the mechanisms involved in P facilitation, which will in turn favor efforts to increase P use efficiency in crop species and management practices.
phosphorus rhizosphere root exudates root architecture cluster roots
Publikationen
Interspecific facilitation of micronutrient uptake in a Banksia woodland
Autoren: Staudinger, C; Renton, M; Wasaki, J; Veneklaas, E; Leopold, M; Bolt, G; Lambers, H Jahr: 2022
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Project staff
Markus Puschenreiter
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Markus Puschenreiter
markus.puschenreiter@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91143, 91163
Project Leader
01.03.2020 - 13.04.2020
Christiana Staudinger
Christiana Staudinger Ph.D.
christiana.staudinger@boku.ac.at
Project Leader
14.04.2020 - 31.05.2021