Mechanism of the trade-off between biological nitrogen fixation and phosphorus acquisition strategies of herbaceous legumes under nitrogen and phosphorus addition

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2020.0241

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Nitrogen fixation of herbaceous legumes is not only an important natural nitrogen (N) input to terrestrial ecosystems, but also determines the economy and sustainability of grassland production. This study aimed to determine the underlying physiological and ecological mechanisms of the interaction between N and phosphorus (P) on biological N fixation rate of legumes.
Methods In a pot experiment, eight species of herbaceous legumes were separately grown in soils with four treatments including no fertiliser, N addition, P addition, and both N and P (NP) addition. Plant biomass and nutrients concentrations, root carbohydrate concentration, pH in rhizosphere, citric concentration in in rhizosphere, avaiable P concentration in rhizosphere, root nodule biomass, P concentration in root nodule, and N fixation rate of these legume plants were examined.
Important findings Depending on legume species, N addition significantly increased relative rhizosphere P mobilization, but reduced investment in root biomass and the concentration of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) in roots. Averaged results of N addition and NP addition treatments indicated that N addition caused 27%-36% decline in nodule biomass and 20%-33% decline in biological N fixation rate for the studied eight legume species. By contrast, P addition significantly promoted root development and NSC accumulation associated with decreasing relative rhizosphere P mobilization. Consequently, P addition increased the biological N fixation rate of the eight legume species by 45%-69% and 0-47% with and without N fertilization, respectively. We concluded that N addition reduced biological N fixation rate via reducing root biomass and root NSC concentration and increasing rhizosphere P mobilization; P addition helped to improve soil N-P balance and promote root growth and NSC accumulation, which can alleviate the inhibition of biological N fixation by N fertilization.

Key words: nitrogen fixation, phosphorus mobilization, legume forage, rhizosphere, root nodule, symbiotic

LI Qiang, HUANG Ying-Xin, ZHOU Dao-Wei, CONG Shan. Mechanism of the trade-off between biological nitrogen fixation and phosphorus acquisition strategies of herbaceous legumes under nitrogen and phosphorus addition[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2021, 45(3): 286-297.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2020.0241

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2021/V45/I3/286

Figures/Tables 9

Table 1 Effect of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on available N and P concentration and available N:P ratio in bulk soil (mean ± SE)

处理 Treatment	有效氮 Available N (mg·kg^-1)	有效磷 Available P (mg·kg^-1)	N:P
Control	37.05 ± 0.50	5.08 ± 0.07 ^a	7.31 ± 0.13 ^c
N	72.02 ± 1.15 ^a	5.11 ± 0.05 ^a	14.12 ± 0.25 ^a
P	37.65 ± 0.64 ^b	9.36 ± 0.11 ^b	4.03 ± 0.07 ^d
NP	71.91 ± 1.02 ^a	9.18 ± 0.09 ^b	7.84 ± 0.38 ^b

Fig. 1 Influence of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on shoot biomass (A) and root biomass (B)(mean ± SE) of different herbaceous legumes. Control, no nutrient addition; N, N addition; P, P addition; NP, coupled addition of N and P; S, species. GS, Glycine soja; LC, Lotus corniculatus; LD, Lespedeza daurica; MF, Medicago falcata; MO, Melilotus officinalis; MR, Medicago ruthenica; MS, Medicago sativa; MV, Medicago varia. Asterisks indicate that factor effect was significant by general linear model analysis. ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 2 Influence of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on plant N concentration (A), plant P concentration (B) and plant N:P ratio (C)(mean ± SE) of different herbaceous legumes. Control, no nutrient addition; N, N addition; P, P addition; NP, coupled addition of N and P; S, species. GS, Glycine soja; LC, Lotus corniculatus; LD, Lespedeza daurica; MF, Medicago falcata; MO, Melilotus officinalis; MR, Medicago ruthenica; MS, Medicago sativa; MV, Medicago varia. Asterisks indicate that factor effect was significant by general linear model analysis. ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 3 Influence of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on available P concentration in rhizosphere (A) and P mobilization in rhizosphere (B)(mean ± SE) of different herbaceous legumes. Control, no nutrient addition; N, N addition; P, P addition; NP, coupled addition of N and P; S, species. GS, Glycine soja; LC, Lotus corniculatus; LD, Lespedeza daurica; MF, Medicago falcata; MO, Melilotus officinalis; MR, Medicago ruthenica; MS, Medicago sativa; MV, Medicago varia. Asterisks indicate that factor effect was significant by general linear model analysis. ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 4 Influence of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on non-structure carbohydrate (NSC) concentration in root (A), arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization rate of root (B), pH in rhizosphere (C) and citric concentration in rhizosphere (D)(mean ± SE) of different herbaceous legumes. Control, no nutrient addition; N, N addition; P, P addition; NP, coupled addition of N and P; S, species. GS, Glycine soja; LC, Lotus corniculatus; LD, Lespedeza daurica; MF, Medicago falcata; MO, Melilotus officinalis; MR, Medicago ruthenica; MS, Medicago sativa; MV, Medicago varia. Asterisks indicate that factor effect was significant by general linear model analysis. ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 5 Correlation relationships between mean root biomass and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization rate of root (A), soil pH in rhizosphere (B), citric concentration in rhizosphere (C), and between mean non-structure carbohydrate (NSC) concentration in root and AM colonization rate of root (D), soil pH in rhizosphere (E), citric concentration in rhizosphere (F)(mean ± SE) following different nutrient addition treatments on eight herbaceous legumes.

Fig. 6 Influence of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and their interaction on root nodule number (A), root nodule biomass (B), root nodule P concentration (C) and biological N fixation rate (BNF)(D)(mean ± SE) of different herbaceous legumes. Control, no nutrient addition; N, N addition; P, P addition; NP, coupled addition of N and P; S, species. GS, Glycine soja; LC, Lotus corniculatus; LD, Lespedeza daurica; MF, Medicago falcata; MO, Melilotus officinalis; MR, Medicago ruthenica; MS, Medicago sativa; MV, Medicago varia. Asterisks indicate that factor effect was significant by general linear model analysis. ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 7 Correlation relationships between root biomass (A), root non-structure carbohydrate (NSC) concentration (B) and biological nitrogen fixation of legume (BNF)(mean ± SE) following different nutrient addition treatments on eight herbaceous legumes.

Fig. 8 Correlation relationships between phosphorus (P) mobilization effect in rhizosphere and biological nitrogen fixation rate of legume (BNF)(mean ± SE) following different nutrient addition treatments on eight herbaceous legumes.

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