Phosphorus deficiency decreases cell division and elongation in grass leaves

Leaf growth in monocotyledons results from the flux of newly born cells out of the division zone and into the adjacent elongation-only zone, where cells reach their final length. We used a kinematic method to analyze the effect of phosphorus nutrition status on cell division and elongation parameters in the epidermis of Lolium perenne. Phosphorus deficiency reduced the leaf elongation rate by 39% due to decreases in the cell production rate (-19%) and final cell length (-20%). The former was solely due to a lower average cell division rate (0.028 versus 0.046 cell cell(-1) h(-1)) and, thus, a lengthened average cell cycle duration (25 versus 15 h). The number of division cycles of the initial cell progeny (five to six) and, as a result, the number of meristematic cells (32-64) and division zone length were independent of phosphorus status. Accordingly, low-phosphorus cells maintained meristematic activity longer. Lack of effect of phosphorus deficiency on meristematic cell length implies that a lower division rate was matched to a lower elongation rate. Phosphorus deficiency did not affect the elongation-only zone length, thus leading to longer cell elongation duration (99 versus 75 h). However, the substantially reduced postmitotic average relative elongation rate (0.045 versus 0.064 mm mm(-1) h(-1)) resulted in shorter mature cells. In summary, phosphorus deficiency did not affect the general controls of cell morphogenesis, but, by slowing down the rates of cell division and expansion, it slowed down its pace.