Abstract
Low availability of phosphorus in the soil is one of the principal limiting factors in plant development and plant production. Plants have developed adaptive mechanisms for these environments that vary among species and genotypes within a species. The capacity of plants to explore the soil, transform unusable P forms to usable forms, develop relationships with mycorrhiza fungi, among other traits, influence the plant efficiency in these environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate morphological root characteristics related to mechanisms of phosphorus acquisition in sorghum lines of the sorghum improvement program at Embrapa. Nine lines were used to study the root system in a soil with two levels of phosphorus (5 and 20 mg dm-3). For this characterization a WinRhizo v. 4.0 image analyzer was used. Genetic variability was observed at low phosphorus levels for total root length, very fine root length, fine root length, total root surface area, root surface area of very fine root, root surface area of fine root and number of root branches, suggesting that different mechanisms of phosphorus acquisition may be occurring in environments with low and high phosphorus availability. Root length and root surface area appear to be more important for plant adaptation to low phosphorus levels than root volume and root diameter. Specific root length and root tissue density were the most useful parameters related to plant productivity at low phosphorus. These characteristics could be useful parameters for selection in sorghum improvement programs.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum lines varied in total, very fine and fine root lengths at low phosphorus.
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“Genetic variability was observed at low phosphorus levels for total root length, very fine root length, fine root length”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum lines varied in total, very fine and fine root surface areas at low phosphorus.
- Outcome
- total root surface area, root surface area of very fine root, root surface area of fine roote0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“total root surface area, root surface area of very fine root, root surface area of fine root”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum lines varied in number of root branches at low phosphorus.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“number of root branches, suggesting that different mechanisms of phosphorus acquisition may be occurring in environments with low and high phosphorus availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Different phosphorus acquisition mechanisms may operate under low and high availability.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“suggesting that different mechanisms of phosphorus acquisition may be occurring in environments with low and high phosphorus availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Root length and surface area appeared more important for low-phosphorus adaptation than volume and diameter.
- Organ / stage
- Root length and root surface areae0
- Outcome
- plant adaptation to low phosphorus levelse0
- Direction
- more importante0
- Comparator
- root volume and root diametere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“Root length and root surface area appear to be more important for plant adaptation to low phosphorus levels than root volume and root diameter”
Claim · model-written summary
Specific root length was among the most useful parameters related to productivity at low phosphorus.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“Specific root length and root tissue density were the most useful parameters related to plant productivity at low phosphorus”
Claim · model-written summary
Root tissue density was among the most useful parameters related to productivity at low phosphorus.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“Specific root length and root tissue density were the most useful parameters related to plant productivity at low phosphorus”
Claim · model-written summary
These root characteristics were proposed for sorghum selection.
- Outcome
- useful parameters for selection in sorghum improvement programse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum”
e0“These characteristics could be useful parameters for selection in sorghum improvement programs”