TY - JOUR

T1 - Two-way NxP fertilisation experiment on barley (Hordeum vulgare) reveals shift from additive to synergistic N-P interactions at critical phosphorus fertilisation level

AU - Clayton, Jessica

AU - Lemanski, Kathleen

AU - Solbach, Marcel Dominik

AU - Temperton, Vicky M.

AU - Bonkowski, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2024 Clayton, Lemanski, Solbach, Temperton and Bonkowski.

PY - 2024/3/5

Y1 - 2024/3/5

N2 - In a pot experiment, we investigated synergistic interaction of N and P fertilisation on barley biomass (Hordeum vulgare) on both shoot and root level with the aim to determine whether N-P interaction would be the same for all levels of N and P fertilisation. We further aimed to determine whether there was a critical level of N and/or P fertilisation rate, above which, a decrease in resource allocation to roots (as nutrient availability increased) could be demonstrated. Barley plants were grown from seed on a nutrient poor substrate and subjected to a two-way NxP fertilisation gradient using a modified Hoagland fertilisation solution. We observed N-P interactions in shoot and root biomass, and N and P use-efficiencies. A synergistic response in biomass was observed only above a critical level of P fertilisation when P was not limiting growth. Furthermore, we found that the same incremental increase in N:P ratio of applied fertiliser elicited different responses in shoot and root biomass depending on P treatment and concluded that barley plants were less able to cope with increasing stoichiometric imbalance when P was deficient. We provide, for the first time, stoichiometric evidence that critical levels for synergistic interactions between N-P may exist in crop plants.

AB - In a pot experiment, we investigated synergistic interaction of N and P fertilisation on barley biomass (Hordeum vulgare) on both shoot and root level with the aim to determine whether N-P interaction would be the same for all levels of N and P fertilisation. We further aimed to determine whether there was a critical level of N and/or P fertilisation rate, above which, a decrease in resource allocation to roots (as nutrient availability increased) could be demonstrated. Barley plants were grown from seed on a nutrient poor substrate and subjected to a two-way NxP fertilisation gradient using a modified Hoagland fertilisation solution. We observed N-P interactions in shoot and root biomass, and N and P use-efficiencies. A synergistic response in biomass was observed only above a critical level of P fertilisation when P was not limiting growth. Furthermore, we found that the same incremental increase in N:P ratio of applied fertiliser elicited different responses in shoot and root biomass depending on P treatment and concluded that barley plants were less able to cope with increasing stoichiometric imbalance when P was deficient. We provide, for the first time, stoichiometric evidence that critical levels for synergistic interactions between N-P may exist in crop plants.

KW - barley

KW - critical P level

KW - fertilisation

KW - N-P interactions

KW - nutrient limitation

KW - shoot:root ratio

KW - stoichiometry

KW - synergistic effects

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188544684&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3389/fpls.2024.1346729

DO - 10.3389/fpls.2024.1346729

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 38504892

AN - SCOPUS:85188544684

VL - 15

JO - Frontiers in Plant Science

JF - Frontiers in Plant Science

SN - 1664-462X

M1 - 1346729

ER -