Effects of Root Zone Warming on Maize Seedling Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics Under Different Phosphorus Levels.

Zhenqing Xia,Yafang Fu,Shibo Zhang,Guixin Zhang,Haidong Lu,Qi Wang

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.746152

Zhenqing Xia, Yafang Fu + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.746152

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Abstract

Phosphorus content and root zone temperature are two major environmental factors affecting maize growth. Both low phosphorus and root zone high temperature stress significantly affect the growth of maize, but the comprehensive effects of phosphorus deficiency and root zone warming are less studied. This study aimed to explore the effects of phosphorus deficiency and root zone warming on the root absorption capacity, total phosphorus content, and photosynthetic fluorescence parameters of maize seedlings. The results showed that maize shoots and roots had different responses to root zone warming and phosphorus deficiency. Properly increasing the root zone temperature was beneficial to the growth of maize seedlings, but when the root zone temperature was too high, it significantly affected the root and shoot development of maize seedlings. The root zone warming had a more significant impact on the root system, while phosphorus deficiency had a greater impact on the shoots. Phosphorus content and root zone warming had a strong interaction. Under the comprehensive influence of normal phosphorus supply and medium temperature in the root zone, the growth of maize seedlings was the best. Under the combined effects of low phosphorus and high temperature in the root zone, the growth was the worst. Compared with the combination of normal phosphorus and root zone medium temperature treatment, the dry mass of the low-phosphorus root zone high temperature treatment was decreased by 55.80%. Under the condition of low-phosphorus too high root zone temperature reduced root vitality, plant phosphorus content, which in turn affected plant growth and light energy utilization efficiency. In the case of sufficient phosphate fertilizer supply, appropriately increasing the soil temperature in the root zone is beneficial to increase the absorption and utilization of phosphorus by plants and promote the growth and development of maize seedlings.

Highlights

Temperature is one of the key environmental factors affecting crop growth, and most crops are extremely sensitive to the ambient temperature
We investigated the effects of root zone temperature increase and low-phosphorus stress on the root and shoot growth, plant phosphorus content, photosynthesis, and fluorescence parameters of maize seedlings
The shoot dry mass had the highest level under the comprehensive treatment of normal P (NP) and MT, and the lowest level under the comprehensive treatment of low P (LP) and HT

Summary

Introduction

Temperature is one of the key environmental factors affecting crop growth, and most crops are extremely sensitive to the ambient temperature. IPCC (2013) evaluation report pointed out that the global average surface temperature in 2016–2035 may rise 0.3–0.7°C, expected. Root Zone Warming and Phosphorus to rise at the end of the 21st century, the surface temperature of the earth will increase by 1.4–5.8°C (Zhang et al, 2019). Soil temperatures are closely related to atmospheric temperatures, and the soil temperature near the root zone increases in the background of the rise in temperature in the global temperature (Qian et al, 2011). The continuous increase of the soil temperature in the root zone will certainly have an important impact on the crop growth

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