Root length and phosphorus uptake by four barley cultivars grown under moderate deficiency of phosphorus in field experiments

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Abstract Four cultivars of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare cvs Lofa, Mona, Salka, and Zita) were grown in field experiments on a morainic sandy clay loam which had received neither phosphorus nor potassium fertilizer for 15 years. Dry matter production, root length, rate of phosphorus uptake per unit root length, and total P uptake varied considerably among the cultivars, particularly after ear emergence. Grain yield of Lofa and Salka was only 10% lower under conditions of moderate P deficiency than under adequate supply of P, whereas that of Mona and Zita was 20 and 35% lower, respectively. Hence, it should be possible to improve barley cultivars for a high productivity on moderate P deficient soils and under constrained P‐fertilizer conditions.