Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency Research Articles

Investigating the Effect of Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms of Insoluble Phosphorus on Phosphorus Acquisition and Utilization Efficiency in Corn (Zea mays L.)

Investigating the Effect of Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms of Insoluble Phosphorus on Phosphorus Acquisition and Utilization Efficiency in Corn (Zea mays L.)

Identification of two glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase genes in maize leaf phosphorus remobilization

Phosphate deficiency is one of the leading causes of crop productivity loss. Phospholipid degradation liberates phosphate to cope with phosphate deficiency. Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases (GPX-PDEs) hydrolyse the intermediate products of phospholipid catabolism glycerophosphodiesters into glycerol-3-phosphate, a precursor of phosphate. However, the function of GPX-PDEs in phosphate remobilization in maize remains unclear. In the present study, we characterized two phosphate deficiency-inducible GPX-PDE genes, ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5, in maize leaves. ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 were transcriptionally regulated by ZmPHR1, a well-described phosphate starvation-responsive transcription factor of the MYB family. Complementation of the yeast GPX-PDE mutant gde1∆ indicated that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 functioned as GPX-PDEs, suggesting their roles in phosphate recycling from glycerophosphodiesters. In vitro enzyme assays showed that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 catalysed glycerophosphodiester degradation with different substrate preferences for glycerophosphoinositol and glycerophosphocholine, respectively. ZmGPX-PDE1 was upregulated during leaf senescence, and more remarkably, loss of ZmGPX-PDE1 in maize compromised the remobilization of phosphorus from senescing leaves to young leaves, resulting in a stay-green phenotype under phosphate starvation. These results suggest that ZmGPX-PDE1 catalyses the degradation of glycerophosphodiesters in maize, promoting phosphate recycling from senescing leaves to new leaves. This mechanism is crucial for improving phosphorus utilization efficiency in crops.

Mining of Related Genes with High Efficiency of Phosphorus Utilization Based on Transcriptome Sequencing in Soybean

Mining of Related Genes with High Efficiency of Phosphorus Utilization Based on Transcriptome Sequencing in Soybean

The influence of homoeologous D(A) and D(B) substitutions on plant dry matter, nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation and utilization efficiency in hexaploid triticale young plants grown in hydroponics

The accumulation and utilization efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus were studied using hydroponic cultures of seedlings of the ‘Presto’ and ‘Rhino’ D(A) and D(B) substitution lines of hexaploid triticale. The results were significantly affected by homoeology group of chromosomes participating in a substitution, the A or B genome origin of replaced chromosome and genetic background of triticale cultivar. The substitutions 4D(4B) and 5D(5B) resulted in an increase of plant dry matter in relation to the non-substituted cultivars. The significant increase of N accumulation was found in 3D(3A) and 4D(4B) of ‘Rhino’, and 5D(5B) and 4D(4B) of ‘Presto’. The improvement of N utilization efficiency was recorded for 2D(2A) and 1D(1B) of ‘Presto’, and 5D(5B), 7D(7A) and 5D(5A) of ‘Rhino’. The P accumulation was distinctly improved in ‘Presto’ 5D(5B) substitution. The P utilization efficiency was improved in all substitutions containing 4D or 6D as well as in ‘Presto’ 2D(2B) and 5D(5B).

Characteristics of phosphorus adsorption and desorption in erosive weathered granite area and effects of soil properties.

Highly weathered acidic soils tend to have high phosphorus adsorption rates. Studying the differential phosphorus adsorption and desorption characteristics of these soils is of great significance to improve phosphorus utilization efficiency and reduce soil phosphorus loss in agricultural management. Erosive weathered granite soil (TL-Tillage layer, LL-Laterite layer, and SL-Sand layer) in Anji County, Zhejiang Province were selected for batch experiments and phosphorus fractionation test. The soil properties that are generally considered to have a greater impact on phosphorus adsorption and desorption are also studied. Derived from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, the maximum absorption capacity (Qmax) of phosphorus in TL soil was greater than that in LL and SL soil. With a pH of 4.3-5.0, the three soils have the most phosphorus adsorption. The desorption ratio (Dr) in the SL soil is larger than the LL and TL soil. Six key soil property indicators can fit Qmax and Dr values well. Al-P is the main fraction in the phosphorus adsorption-desorption process. The particle size classification (PSC) method can be used to accurately calculate soil-specific surface area. The results of the soil phosphorus adsorption-desorption test can be used as an explanation of the results of artificial rainfall tests. Our results reveal the differential adsorption-desorption mechanism of eroded weathered granite soil, and provide a reference for selecting soil indicators for soil adsorption-desorption studies in different regions.

Tagging, Mapping and Identification of the QTLs Associated With Phosphorous Utilization for Phosphorous- Limiting Soils in Tropical Maize

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is one of the major abiotic constraints leading to low maize productivity. Twenty- four SSR markers sequence information was obtained from maize databases (MaizeGDB). These SSRs were selected from targeted regions of the maize genome linked to Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for Phosphorus utilization efficiency. The mapping population consisting 67 F2 maize plants, were obtained from advancing a bi-parental cross between an efficient line (L354) and an in-efficient maize line (L585). Out of 24 SSRs five identified polymorphic SSR markers were subsequently used for genotyping the 67 tagged F2 plants. Sixty seven F2:3 maize families were used for QTL localization. Inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) analysis identified seven QTLs associated with phosphorus utilization on chromosome 5. All the mapped QTLs were more than 5 cM from the nearest molecular marker utilized in the study. The closest mapped QTL, PeSB-5, 7 associated with shoot biomass was at 11.7 cM, from the nearest marker umc2136 on chromosome 5. Therefore, there is need to saturate the map which may prove useful to identify and test several markers near the mapped QTLs. The identified markers could serve as potential SSR markers for QTLs associated with phosphorous utilization for phosphorous- limiting soils in tropical maize.

Consortium of endophyte and rhizosphere phosphate solubilizing bacteria improves phosphorous use efficiency in wheat cultivars in phosphorus deficient soils

Rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria are known to increase phosphorus efficiency (PE) of plant in phosphorus-deficient soils. The purpose of this research was to examine the role of rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial inoculation in increasing phosphorus acquisition efficiency (PAE) and phosphorus utilization efficiency (PUE) by solubilization of phosphate and expanding of root system. A total of 22 isolates were selected from rhizosphere and inside root of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants based on plant growth promoting traits. These isolates significantly solubilized phosphorus from tri-calcium phosphate and produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) under in vitro condition. In pot experiment, we found that rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial inoculation improved root and shoot dry matter, grain yield, length, surface area and volume of roots. At the ripening stage, the consortium treated (co-inoculation with rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria) pots exhibited enhanced the plant height (up to 15.0% and 11.0%), shoot dry weight (up to 5.8% and 7.5%), root dry weight (up to 68% and 58%) and grain yield (up to 58.0% and 42.0%), in Marvdasht and Roshan cultivars respectively. The uptake of P was 3.61 mg pot−1 for Marvdasht cultivar and 6.44 mg pot−1 for Roshan cultivar. Inoculation with rhizospheric isolate increased PE index by 29.5% and 18.7% in Marvdasht and Roshan cultivars, respectively. Noticeable effect was detected in case of consortium treatment, suggesting that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria acted synergistically with plant growth promoting endophytes. Finally, our study highlights the importance of co-inoculation with rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial inoculant in improving P efficiency of wheat cultivars.

Le phosphore dans les systèmes d'élevage

Le phosphore en agriculture constitue à la fois une ressource limitée et une source potentielle de pollution lorsqu'il est utilisé en excès comme fertilisant. Les systèmes d'élevages jouent un rôle particulièrement important dans les flux de phosphore, les déjections animales contribuant à l'échelle nationale à près de la moitié des apports sur les sols, avec une forte variabilité selon les régions. Les produits animaux contribuent aussi largement à la couverture des besoins pour l'alimentation humaine en apportant près de 60 % du phosphore total de la ration moyenne des Français. L'efficacité de rétention du phosphore par les animaux est très variable selon les espèces. La plus élevée est obtenue chez le poulet standard, suivi du porc, du poulet label rouge et de la vache laitière, les poules pondeuses et les vaches allaitantes présentant des efficacités plus faibles. Toutefois, à l'échelle du système de production, les pressions en phosphore organique sont plus faibles pour les élevages de ruminants qui disposent de plus de surface d'épandage. Ces dernières années l'amélioration des connaissances des besoins et de l'utilisation digestive du phosphore ont permis de réduire fortement les apports en phosphore et les rejets, avec pour les animaux monogastriques l'effet additionnel de l'utilisation de phytases. Les pertes de phosphore vers l'environnement étant limitées, comparativement aux pertes d'azote, il est théoriquement possible d'atteindre des valeurs très élevées d'efficacité d'utilisation du phosphore dans les systèmes agricoles, mais ceci nécessite un parfait recyclage du phosphore des déjections animales et de celui des coproduits animaux.

Zein coated porous carboxymethyl starch fertilizer for iron promoting and phosphate sustainable release

The low utilization efficiency of phosphorus (P) leads to limited uptake in plant and decrease of productivity in the world’s arable soil, which is due to the low solubility and immobilized interaction through Fe- and Al-based oxides. Therefore, there are only several reports for fertilizers containing both phosphorus and iron. To enhance the utilization efficiency of P and simultaneously provide available Fe, porous carboxymethyl starch (PCS) was synthesized as an absorbent for P and coated by zein. Fe(III) ion, a microelement for chlorophyll synthesis, was introduced as a bridge between PCS and phosphate anions. Then a fertilizer PCS-Fe-P/zein was developed. The content of P was as high as 166 mg/g, far more than other related fertilizers. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm were determined, and a potential adsorption mechanism was proposed. Diffusion of P from the fertilizer was examined in red soil and silt loam. The cumulative release of P in water from PCS-Fe-P/zein was 18% in 30 days, exhibiting a sustainable release behavior. Soybean was used to evaluate the fertilizing effect of PCS-Fe-P/zein. The total P uptake and utilization efficiency were determined. It is indicated from the pot experiments that the utilization efficiency of P was about 68%, three times higher than NH4H2PO4. These results demonstrated the potential and sustainable application of PCS-Fe-P/zein in agriculture.

Spatiotemporal analysis of anthropogenic phosphorus fluxes in China

Anthropogenic phosphorus supports food systems while have caused water pollution and posed challenges to the ecosystems. The increasing socioeconomic interactions between regions and systems have added more complexities to manage the sustainability of effective phosphorus use that requires joint analyses of multiple regions or multiple systems of phosphorus flow. This study builds a framework to systematically model the phosphorus fluxes in China based on material flow analysis. This model consists of phosphorus industrial system, agricultural planting system, rural residential system, urban residential system, large-scale livestock breeding system and household livestock breeding system. This study further explored the temporal and spatial characteristics of phosphorus fluxes in terms of phosphorus utilization efficiency and water load during 1995–2015. The results showed that the total amount of phosphorus input in China had increased nearly 1.78 times during 1995–2015, of which about 85% is used for fertilizer production. The phosphorus utilization rates of urban residential and large-scale livestock breeding systems remained low with a declining trend, dropping to 5%. The phosphorus water load peaked and declined during the study period. Among them, the phosphorus water load in large-scale and household livestock breeding systems accounted for more than 60% of the total. In spatial dimension, Southwest China is the region with the largest input of phosphorus, about 375.33 × 104 t, while Northeast China is the region with the largest phosphorus water load, about 28.06 × 104 t.

Root growth and phosphorus efficiency among sweet potato genotypes under low phosphorus

A column experiment was conducted to investigate the responses of root growth and phosphorus (P) efficiency among sweet potatoes—JiHei1 (JH1), NingZi2 (NZ2), SuShu11 (S11) and SuShu17 (S17)—under low P and normal P conditions. Root growth was inhibited by low P in root length and surface area across diameter classes, except for in S17. The P absorption was influenced and led to variations in P content among organs. A high correlation was observed in root dry matter (DM) and P uptake. The tuber DM declined among genotypes under low P, and different P efficiencies were determined. A higher phosphorus utilization efficiency was observed in S11 and S17, suggesting that more P was needed to maintain their normal growth. Physiological efficiency and phosphorus utilization efficiency were significantly positively correlated with the tuber DM, indicating that low P limited the growth of sweet potatoes. These results benefit the production and breeding of sweet potatoes in response to P deficiency.

Influence of eco-substrate addition on organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus budgets of intensive aquaculture ponds of the Pearl River, China

Eco-substrates were developed to control pollution created in pond-based intensive aquaculture. In this study, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus budgets and concentrations were quantified to determine if restoring eco-substrate is an effective method to reverse the effects of pollution. The experiment was performed in 1.0 hm2 ponds with and without the addition of eco-substrate, i.e. treatment and control groups, respectively. Results showed that eco-substrate significantly reduced ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the water of intensive aquaculture ponds (P < .05). The water accumulation of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group water (P < .05), as was the sediment accumulation of organic carbon and nitrogen (P < .05); no significant difference was found in the sediment accumulation of phosphorus (P > .05). The utilization efficiency of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus of the eco-substrate group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < .05). Therefore, eco-substrate could significantly improve water quality, reduce nutrient accumulation, and improve the utilization efficiency of nutrients. Nonetheless, China's large aquaculture industry emits 4.19 × 105 tons of organic carbon, 2.79 × 105 tons of nitrogen, and 2.89 × 104 tons of phosphorus annually. Thus, additional studies are necessary to improve treatment methods for large-scale aquaculture effluents.

Assessing the sustainability of phosphorus use in China: Flow patterns from 1980 to 2015

Phosphorus is vital for living creatures and will run out in the next few hundred years. The imbalanced phosphate rock distribution and inefficient consumption make phosphorus management of great importance. As China has an undeniable influence on global phosphorus production and consumption, understanding its changing historical patterns is critical for phosphorus resource management and water quality improvement. However, most existing research focus on anthropogenic phosphorus flows in the agricultural sector for a specific year, making the evaluation of such changes difficult. Therefore, substance flow analysis and principal component analysis for phosphorus flows between 1980 and 2015 were performed to understand phosphorus consumption structure change and the build-up of legacy phosphorus in China. The results show that although China’s phosphorus utilization efficiency has decreased over time, it is still higher than in most other countries. The research also demonstrates the effectiveness of combining multiyear substance flow analysis and principal component analysis to improve the transparency of identifying underlying consumption structure change during resource management.

Speciation Transformation of Phosphorus in Poultry Litter during Pyrolysis: Insights from X-ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared, and Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

Converting poultry litter (PL) into biochar by slow pyrolysis is a promising approach for recycling organic waste with enhanced phosphorus (P) utilization efficiency, which needs fundamental knowledge of in situ P speciation transformation for optimizing the biochar conversion conditions. In this study, solid-state NMR spectroscopy was employed to characterize solid-state P and C speciation of raw PL and PL-derived biochars prepared at various pyrolysis temperatures. The NMR analysis indicated that phytates were decomposed while hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) formed during conversion of PL to PL-derived biochar at a pyrolysis temperature above 300 °C. With increasing pyrolysis temperature to above 500 °C, farringtonite (Mg3(PO4)2) formed. The higher pyrolysis temperature also favored the formation of calcite and provided deeper carbonization (i.e., greater dominance of thermally stable aromatic structures) in the biochar products. Water extractable P decreased significantly from 2.9 g/kg in PL to less than 0.3 g/kg in the PL-derived biochars prepared above 300 °C, indicating the inhibition effect of pyrolysis on the P lability mainly through transformation of labile phosphates in PL into less soluble forms. Overall, this study suggested that different pyrolysis temperatures should be considered for selective conversion of PL to biochar products with distinct agricultural and environmental applications that demand special P release patterns.

Effects of Pig Manure Composts on Lettuces Quality and Nitrogen/Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency in Huang-Huai Plain

The prevailing problems in countryside, such as excessive use of chemical fertilizer and large amounts of livestock manure, need to be addressed urgently. In order to optimize the amount of applied organic fertilizer, the experiment was carried out in the planting-breeding combined circular agricultural area of Huang-Huai plain and the effects of pig manure fertilizer amounts on lettuces yields, quality and nitrate/phosphorus utilization efficiency were investigated. It was found that the replacement of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer had no significant effects on the N and P content of lettuces when treated with the same amounts of fertilizer. However, it could improve its yield, quality, and nitrogen/phosphorus utilization efficiency. When the ratio of organic fertilizer replacement was 25%∼75%, the nitrate and nitrite content of lettuces were reduced by 19.41% and 73.33% compared with the chemical fertilizer treatment. The nitrogen and phosphorus utilization efficiency in the 75% organic fertilizer replacement were highest, which were 30.4%/44.9% higher than that of chemical fertilizer respectively. Above all, the 75% organic fertilizer with 25% fertilizer group had the best effect on the yield of lettuces, improving the quality and utilization efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. The results could provide an important scientific basis for determination of regional vegetable planting fertilizer and reduce the non-point source pollution risk.

Natural variation at OsCERK1 regulates arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice.

The symbiotic interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and land plants is essential for efficient nutrient acquisition and utilisation. Our understanding of key processes controlling the AMF colonisation in rice is still limited. Dongxiang wild rice (DY) exhibited a stronger colonisation with Rhizophagus irregularis than the rice cultivar Zhongzao 35 (ZZ35). Chromosome segment substitution lines were constructed and the OsCERK1 gene from DY was mapped. Transgenic plants in the japonica rice Zhonghua 11 (ZZ11) were constructed to compare root colonisation by AMF. Chromosome single-segment substitution lines containing OsCERK1DY showed higher phosphorus content and grain yield relative to ZZ35. Four amino acids substitutions were identified among the OsCERK1 haplotypes of DY, ZZ35 and ZH11 and two of these were in the second lysine-motif domain, which is essential for the differences of AMF colonisation level among rice varieties. Heterologous expression of OsCERK1DY in ZH11 significantly enhanced AMF colonisation and increased resistance against the pathogenic fungi Magnaporthe oryzae. Notably, the OsCERK1DY haplotype was absent from 4660 cultivated rice varieties. We conclude that OsCERK1 is a key gene affecting the symbiotic interaction with AMF and OsCERK1DY has the biotechnological potential to increase rice phosphorus acquisition and utilisation efficiency for sustainable agriculture.

Coincidence of QTLs determining foliar phosphorus fractionation patterns and phosphorus utilization efficiency in barley under low phosphorus stress

Plants can optimize the allocation of phosphorus (P) among their foliar P fractions to increase the P utilization efficiency (PUE). Identifying the genetic relationships between foliar P fractionation and PUE could provide opportunities to improve the P efficiency of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The differences in the concentrations and proportions of inorganic P, ester P, nucleic acid P and insoluble P between a wild barley cultivar CN4027 and a commercial cultivar Baudin were studied, and their quantitative trait loci (QTLs) at normal P (NP) and low P (LP) fertilisations were mapped. The PUE that was determined in the previous study was used to analyze the relationship between PUE and foliar P fractionation in this research. Both cultivars of barley could increase their metabolic P fractions as an LP stress tolerance strategy to ensure their continued metabolic activities in response to LP stress. Cultivar CN4027 showed higher nucleic acid P concentration (NPC), nucleic acid P proportion (NPP) and insoluble P proportion (IPP) than cultivar Baudin under LP stress. This abundant organic P (Po) pool of CN4027 ensured the normal functioning of its metabolic pathways under LP stress. The close relationships between the foliar P fractionation and PUE could be explained by two QTL clusters, Cl-3H.02 and Cl-5H.01. The QTL cluster Cl-3H.02 is flanked by the markers bPb3256099-bPb3255630 on chromosome 3H and controls the ester P concentration (EPC), ester P proportion (EPP), insoluble P concentration (IPC) and IPP. The QTL cluster Cl-3H.02 might have great potential for the future genetic improvement of barley PUE and may offer clues for the genetic relationships between the foliar P fractionation and PUE.

Minerals in pastures—are we meeting the needs of livestock?

In Australia, ruminants rely on introduced pastures or native vegetation for most or all of their nutritional requirements. Recent pasture selection and breeding programs have focused on improving or facilitating the establishment, persistence and growth of plants, with little emphasis on nutritive value or mineral composition. In some cases, such as selection for phosphorus (P) utilisation efficiency, mineral supply from plants may even decrease. Currently, a significant proportion of pasture plants contain less calcium (Ca), P, magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfur, copper, iodine, zinc, selenium or cobalt than is required for growth and reproduction, with significant genetic variation among and within legumes and grasses. Young crops and shrubs are now also an integral part of grazing systems. Many young crops contain concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na and potassium (K) that are low or imbalanced for ruminants. Conversely, many shrubs contain minerals at levels higher than required by livestock. Livestock requirements may have changed in recent years with animals selected for more efficient feed conversion, and flock and herd structures changed to increase productivity. New studies have indicated that higher mineral supply may be beneficial during periods of oxidative stress related to growth, reproduction, and external stresses such as heat and parasites. These results indicate that mineral supply from pastures is not sufficient to support high levels of production for at least part of the year and that designing grazing system to incorporate the complementary benefits of grasses, legumes, crop forage and shrubs may improve the mineral status of grazing ruminants.

Production performance of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and water quality variation in monoculture, polyculture and integrated culture

A 74‐day experiment was conducted to evaluate the production performance and water quality variation in three types of farming system for largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. The tested aquaculture models included monoculture of largemouth bass (MC), polyculture of largemouth bass, gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (PC), and integrated culture of largemouth bass, gibel carp, silver carp and freshwater pearl mussel Hyriopsis cumingii (IC). The ratio of largemouth bass, gibel carp and silver carp was 30:2:1 in the PC model, and the ratio of largemouth bass, gibel carp, silver carp and mussel was 30:2:1:5 in the IC model. The largemouth bass were fed with formulated feed twice daily. No significant differences were found in weight gain and yield of largemouth bass, total fish yield, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) utilization efficiencies, N and P wastes, pH, nitrite, nitrate, reactive phosphate, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, 5‐day biochemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll a, primary productivity among the MC, PC and IC models. The ammonia was lower, while the dissolved oxygen was higher in the PC tanks than in the MC tanks. These results suggest that the environment situation was better in the PC tanks relative to that in the MC tanks. The present study reveals that the PC model should be a way to optimize the aquaculture model for commercial largemouth bass farming.

Effects of Nano-Carbon Water-Retaining Fertilizer on Yield and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency of Tuber Mustard

Effects of Nano-Carbon Water-Retaining Fertilizer on Yield and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency of Tuber Mustard