The Comprehensive Effects of Rhizophagus intraradices and P on Root System Architecture and P Transportation in Citrus limon L

Chun-Yan Liu, Xiao-Niu Guo, Xiao-Long Wu, Feng-Jun Dai and Qiang-Sheng Wu
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Chun-Yan Liu: College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
Xiao-Niu Guo: College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
Xiao-Long Wu: College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
Feng-Jun Dai: College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China
Qiang-Sheng Wu: College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphorus (P) collectively influence the root system architecture (RSA), but whether the combination of the two affects RSA, particularly lateral root formation, is unknown. In the present study, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus ( Rhizophagus intraradices ) on the RSA of lemon ( Citrus limon L.) seedlings under 0 (P 0 ) and 50 mg/kg (P 50 ) P levels. Moreover, P and carbohydrate content; acid phosphatase activity; and the expression of P transporter genes ( PTs ), phosphatase genes ( PAPs ), and lateral-root-related genes; were determined. Our results show that root mycorrhizal colonization and mycorrhizal dependency of lemon plants are significantly higher under P 0 than under P 50 conditions. AMF significantly promoted the plant growth performance of lemon, irrespective of substrate P levels. The RSA parameters of AMF plants, including total root length, projected area, surface area, average diameter, volume, and second- and third-order lateral root numbers, were distinctly increased under the two P levels compared to those of non-AMF plants. Mycorrhizal treatment also induced higher carbohydrate (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) and P contents, along with a higher activity of root acid phosphatase. The expression of P-related genes, including ClPAP1 , ClPT1 , ClPT3 , ClPT5 , and ClPT7 , as well as the expression of lateral-root-related genes ( ClKRP6 , ClPSK6 , and ClRSI-1 ), was dramatically upregulated by AMF inoculation, irrespective of substrate P levels. Principal component analysis showed that root P and carbohydrate contents, as well as the expression of ClKRP6 and ClPSK6 , were positively correlated with RSA traits and lateral root development. Our study demonstrates that mycorrhizas accelerate the P acquisition and carbohydrate accumulation of lemon plants by upregulating the expression of lateral-root-related genes, thereby positively improving the RSA. Furthermore, AMF had a greater impact on the RSA of lemon than substrate P levels.

Keywords: citrus; mycorrhiza; lateral roots; phosphorus; root system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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