Journal Article

FZJ-2016-04446

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Impact of axial root growth angles on nitrogen acquisition in maize depends on environmental conditions

Dathe, A. ; Postma, J. A.FZJ* ; Postma-Blaauw, M. B. ; Lynch, J. P. (Corresponding author)

2016
Oxford University Press Oxford

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1093/aob/mcw112

Abstract: Backgrounds and Aims Crops with reduced requirement for nitrogen (N) fertilizer would have substantial bene-fits in developed nations, while improving food security in developing nations. This study employs the functionalstructural plant model SimRoot to test the hypothesis that variation in the growth angles of axial roots of maize (Zeamays L.) is an important determinant of N capture. Methods Six phenotypes contrasting in axial root growth angles were modelled for 42 d at seven soil nitrate lev-els from 10 to 250 kg ha À1 in a sand and a silt loam, and five precipitation regimes ranging from 0Á5Â to 1Á5Â ofan ambient rainfall pattern. Model results were compared with soil N measurements of field sites with silt loam andloamy sand textures. Key Results For optimal nitrate uptake, root foraging must coincide with nitrate availability in the soil profile,which depends on soil type and precipitation regime. The benefit of specific root architectures for efficient N uptakeincreases with decreasing soil N content, while the effect of soil type increases with increasing soil N level.Extreme root architectures are beneficial under extreme environmental conditions. Extremely shallow root systemsperform well under reduced precipitation, but perform poorly with ambient and greater precipitation. Dimorphicphenotypes with normal or shallow seminal and very steep nodal roots performed well in all scenarios, and consis-tently outperformed the steep phenotypes. Nitrate uptake increased under reduced leaching conditions in the siltloam and with low precipitation. Conclusions Results support the hypothesis that root growth angles are primary determinants of N acquisition inmaize. With decreasing soil N status, optimal angles resulted in 15–50 % greater N acquisition over 42 d. Optimalroot phenotypes for N capture varied with soil and precipitation regimes, suggesting that genetic selection for rootphenotypes could be tailored to specific environments.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Pflanzenwissenschaften (IBG-2)

Research Program(s):

1. 582 - Plant Science (POF3-582) (POF3-582)

Appears in the scientific report 2016

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Database coverage:
; Allianz-Lizenz / DFG ; BIOSIS Previews ; Current Contents - Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; NCBI Molecular Biology Database ; National-Konsortium ; Nationallizenz ; No Authors Fulltext ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection

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