Researchers Reveal Allocation Pattern of Foliar-P Fractions of Alhagi sparsifolia on Different P Availability Soils

Researchers from Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has found that foliar-P fractions of Alhagi sparsifolia changed with different P availability soils.

The findings were published in Geoderma, entitled "Allocation of foliar-P fractions of Alhagi sparsifolia and its relationship with soil-P fractions and soil properties in a hyperarid desert ecosystem".

Allocation of foliar-P fractions is considered to be an efficient P-use strategy for plants to accommodate harsh P nutritional status. Legume Alhagi sparsifolia acquires N from groundwater or soil via the root system, but it can also obtain N through biological N₂ fixation. Therefore, Alhagi sparsifolia needs to obtain more P to maintain elemental homeostasis. However, the allocation pattern of foliar-P fractions of Alhagi sparsifolia on different P availability soils are still unclear.

In this study, the researchers selected Alhagi sparsifolia, a widely distributed natural vegetation in the juncture of the Qira oasis and the Taklamakan Desert, as the research object, and choose four sites with different soil-P availability to explore the allocation pattern of foliar-P fractions of Alhagi sparsifolia and its relationship with soil-P fractions and soil properties.

Results showed that Alhagi sparsifolia growth was more than likely limited by soil-P in this area. More foliar-P was allocated to nucleic acid-P, as increasing soil-P limitation. Foliar-P fractions had the strongest response to the labile-P of topsoil. Soil EC and P-pool were main drivers for the allocation of foliar-P fractions.

Article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115546 

Contact: LIU Jie, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography 

E-mail: liujie@ms.xjb.ac.cn