Heterogeneity in spatial P-distribution and foraging capability by Zea mays: effects of patch size and barriers to...

Localized proliferation of roots in nutrient-enriched patches seems to be an adaptive response in many plants, but its function is still debatable. To understand the efficiency and limitation of foraging behaviour, the impact of patch size and the presence or absence of a barrier to root proliferation within phosphorus (P)-enriched patches was examined.

In pots filled with P-poor soil, six treatments of heterogeneous P supply were prepared: three patch sizes with or without a root barrier between patches. In addition, a homogeneous P supply treatment was also prepared. Irrespective of these treatments, each pot received the same total amount of P. Maize (Zea mays) was grown in each pot for 45 d in a greenhouse.

P content and biomass were greatest in plants grown in the largest patch due to successful root proliferation, and were higher in the presence of a root barrier. Interestingly, plants preferentially developed adventitious nodal roots projecting from the stem into the P-enriched soil, particularly in the largest patch with a root barrier. Removal of the barrier reduced the P-uptake capacity per unit root surface area or volume in P-enriched patches, revealing that the P-uptake capacity per root can be suppressed even in P-rich soil if other portions on the root axis encounter P-poor conditions.

The results suggest that the efficiency of root morphological plasticity is largely determined by the size of the P-enriched patch. Furthermore, the results imply a novel aspect of P-uptake physiology that roots in heterogeneous P cannot demonstrate their potential capacity, as would be observed in roots encountering P continuously; this effect is probably mediated by an internal root factor.