Maize plants respond to low-nitrogen stress by enhancing root elongation. The underlying physiological mechanism remains unknown. Seedlings of maize （Zea mays L., cv. Zhengdan 958） were grown in hydroponics with the control （4 mmol L-1） or low-nitrogen （40 μmol L-1） for 12 d, supplied as nitrate. Low nitrogen enhanced root elongation rate by 4.1-fold, accompanied by increases in cell production rate by 2.2-fold, maximal elemental elongation rate （by 2.5-fold）, the length of elongation zone （by 1.5-fold）, and ifnal cell length by 1.8-fold. On low nitrogen, the higher cell production rate resulted from a higher cell division rate and in fact the number of dividing cells was reduced. Consequently, the residence time of a cell in the division zone tended to be shorter under low nitrogen. In addition, low nitrogen increased root diameter, an increase that occurred speciifcally in the cortex and was accompanied by an increase in cell number. It is concluded that roots elongates in response to low-nitrogen stress by accelerating cell production and expansion.
根系形态和分布对土壤中养分和水分的吸收有重要影响。增加耐密性是现代玉米(Zea may L.)育种的主要方向,而耐密性与根系的关系尚了解不多。本文以70年代主推的2个不耐密型品种(中单2号与丹玉13)和2个当代耐密型现代品种(先玉335和郑单958)为材料,将田间试验和室内水培试验相结合,在3个密度水平下,研究了不同耐密性玉米品种的根系差异及其对种植密度的响应。结果表明,目前推广的耐密型品种的根系要小于不耐密的老品种。不同耐密性品种之间的差异主要表现在0—40 cm。随着密度的增加,根显著变小、变细。密度主要降低0—20 cm土层中的根系生长,对深层根系影响较小。先玉335和中单2的根系长度对密度的反应较弱,郑单958和丹玉13较强。这说明先玉335主要依靠其小根系适应高密度,而郑单958既依靠较小的根系,同时依靠较高的根系反应性适应高密度。
Interspecific root/rhizosphere interactions affect phosphorus (P) uptake and the productivity of maize/faba bean and maize/wheat intercropping systems. The aim of these experiments was to determine whether manipulation of maize root growth could improve the productivity of the two intercropping systems. Two near isogenic maize hybrids (the larger-rooted T149 and smaller-rooted T222) were intercropped with faba bean and wheat, under conditions of high- and low-P availability. The larger-rooted T149 showed greater competitive ability than the smaller-rooted T222 in both maize/faba bean and maize/wheat intercropping systems. The higher competitive ability of T149 improved the productivity of the maize/faba bean intercropping system in P-sufficient conditions. In maize/wheat intercropping systems, root growth, shoot biomass, and P uptake of maize were inhibited by wheat, regardless of the P-supply. Compared with T222, the larger-rooted T149 suffered less in the intercropping systems. The total biomass of the maize/wheat intercropping system was higher for wheat/T149 than for wheat/T222 under low-P conditions. These data suggested that genetic improvement of maize root size could enhance maize growth and its ability to compete for P resources in maize/faba bean and maize/wheat intercropping systems. In addition, depending on the P availability, larger maize roots could increase the productivity of intercropping systems.
The use of nitrogen(N) fertilizers has contributed to the production of a food supply sufficient for both animals and humans despite some negative environmental impact.Sustaining food production by increasing N use efficiency in intensive cropping systems has become a major concern for scientists,environmental groups,and agricultural policymakers worldwide.In high-yielding maize systems the major method of N loss is nitrate leaching.In this review paper,the characteristic of nitrate movement in the soil,N uptake by maize as well as the regulation of root growth by soil N availability are discussed.We suggest that an ideotype root architecture for efficient N acquisition in maize should include(i) deeper roots with high activity that are able to uptake nitrate before it moves downward into deep soil;(ii) vigorous lateral root growth under high N input conditions so as to increase spatial N availability in the soil;and(iii) strong response of lateral root growth to localized nitrogen supply so as to utilize unevenly distributed nitrate especially under limited N conditions.
MI GuoHuaCHEN FanJunWU QiuPingLAI NingWeiYUAN LiXingZHANG FuSuo
Maize plants adapt to low phosphorus （P） stress by increasing root growth. It is of importance to know the extent to which genetic improvement of root growth can enhance P acquisiton. In the present study, the contribution of root growth improvement to efficient P acquisition was evaluated in two soils using T149 and T222, a pair of near isogenic maize testcrosses which were derived from a backcross BC 4 F 3 population. T149 and T222 showed no difference in shoot biomass and leaf area under normal growth conditions, but differed greatly in root growth. T149 had longer lateral roots and a larger root surface area compared to T222. In calcareous soil, when P was insufficient, i.e., when P was either supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 50 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Ca3-P or Ca10-P, a 43% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by 53%, and shoot biomass by 48%. In acid soil, however, when P supply was insufficient, i.e., when P was supplied as KH 2 PO 4 at a concentration of 100 mg P kg-1 soil, or in the form of Phy-P, Fe-P or Al-P, a 32% increase in root length in T149 compared to T222 resulted in an increase in P uptake by only 12%, and shoot biomass by 7%. No significant differences in the exudation of organic acids and APase activity were found between the two genotypes. It is concluded that genetic improvement of root growth can efficiently increase P acquisition in calcareous soils. In acid soils, however, improvements in the physiological traits of roots, in addition to their size, seem to be required for efficient P acquisition.
