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Phosphorus speciation in mature wheat and canola plants as affected by phosphorus supply

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Abstract

Background and aims

As plants approach maturity and start to senesce, the primary sink for phosphorus (P) is the seed but it is unclear how plant P status affects the resulting P concentration and speciation in the seed and remaining plant parts of the residues. This study was established to measure how P speciation in different parts of wheat and canola is affected by plant P status.

Methods

Wheat and canola grown in the glasshouse were supplied three different P rates (5, 30 and 60 kg P ha−1 equivalent). At physiological maturity, plants were harvested and P speciation was determined for all plant parts (root, stem, leaf, chaff/pod and seed) and rates of P application, using solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Results

Phytate was the dominant form of P in seed whereas orthophosphate was the dominant form of P in other plant parts. The distribution of P species varied with P status for canola but not for wheat. The phytate content of wheat chaff increased from 10 to 45 % of total P as the P rate increased. Canola pods did not show a similar trend, with most P present as orthophosphate.

Conclusions

Although minor differences were observed in P speciation across the three P application rates and plant parts, the effect of this on P cycling from residues into soil is likely to be relatively minor in comparison to the overall contribution of these residues to soil P pools. This glasshouse experiment shows the dominant P form in crop residues that is returned to soil after harvest is orthophosphate, regardless of plant P status.

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Abbreviations

C:

Carbon

DGT:

Diffuse gradient thin film

EC:

Electrical conductivity

N:

Nitrogen

NaOH-EDTA:

Sodium hydroxide ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

NMR:

Nuclear magnetic resonance

P:

Phosphorus

PBI:

Phosphorus buffering index

RNA:

Ribonucleic acid

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) for providing funding to support this research (DAV00095) and the University of Adelaide for the James Frederick Sandoz Scholarship. We thank Waite Analytical Services for their help with elemental analysis and Yue Wu for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, PMB 1, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA, 5064, Australia

    Sarah R. Noack, Mike J. McLaughlin & Ronald J. Smernik

  2. CSIRO Sustainable Agriculture Flagship, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA, 5064, Australia

    Mike J. McLaughlin

  3. CSIRO Sustainable Agriculture Flagship, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA, 5064, Australia

    Therese M. McBeath

  4. Grains Innovation Park, Department of Environment & Primary Industries, PMB 260, Horsham, VIC, 3400, Australia

    Roger D. Armstrong

  5. Department of Agricultural Sciences, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia

    Roger D. Armstrong

Authors
  1. Sarah R. Noack
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  2. Mike J. McLaughlin
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  3. Ronald J. Smernik
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  4. Therese M. McBeath
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  5. Roger D. Armstrong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah R. Noack.

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Responsible Editor: Philip John White.

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Noack, S.R., McLaughlin, M.J., Smernik, R.J. et al. Phosphorus speciation in mature wheat and canola plants as affected by phosphorus supply. Plant Soil 378, 125–137 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-2015-3

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