Abstract
The effect of P supply on absorption and utilization efficiency of P in relation to dry matter production and dinitrogen fixation was examined in 8 pigeon pea cultivars with different growth duration and a soybean cultivar under field conditions.
In all the pigeon pea cultivars, the maximum whole plant dry weight was obtained in a P-deficient soil at 100 kg P ha−1 application. The short duration cultivars had smaller whole plant dry weights at low P rates (5 and 25 kg P ha−1) and poor response to P application compared with the medium and long duration cultivars.
Increasing the P application rate significantly increased dinitrogen fixation in all the cultivars. At the low P rates, the total nodule activity (TNA) was lower in the short than in the medium and the long duration cultivars. However, at 200 kg P ha−1 application, dinitrogen fixation did not vary among these cultivars except for one short duration cultivar whichregistered very low values.
Dry matter production and dinitrogen fixation are strongly controlled by P absorption ability rather than P utilization efficiency. The low absorption ability of the short duration cultivars is mainly due to poor root development.
The high P concentrations in the nodules of all the cultivars suggest that nodules have advantage over host plant interms of P distribution under P deficient conditions.
Our results suggest that P plays an important role in dinitrogen fixation through an effective translocation of P to the leaf. Thus when P supply is limited, efficient cultivars obtained reasonably high yield through an effective translocation of the absorbed P to the leaf.
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Adu-Gyamfi, J.J., Fujita, K. & Ogata, S. Phosphorus absorption and utilization efficiency of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.) in relation to dry matter production and dinitrogen fixation. Plant Soil 119, 315–324 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02370424
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02370424