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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Anatomical root responses of rice to combined phosphorus and water stress – relations to tolerance and breeding opportunities

Pieterjan De Bauw https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9191-8850 A F , Elke Vandamme B C , Allen Lupembe C , Leah Mwakasege C , Kalimuthu Senthilkumar C D , Khady N. Dramé E and Roel Merckx A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

B International Potato Center (CIP), PO Box 1269, Kigali, Rwanda.

C Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), PO Box 33581, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

D Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), PO Box 1690, Antananarivo, Madagascar.

E Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), 01 BP 4029, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

F Corresponding author. Email: pieterjan.debauw@kuleuven.be

Functional Plant Biology 46(11) 1009-1022 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP19002
Submitted: 11 January 2019  Accepted: 20 June 2019   Published: 23 September 2019

Abstract

Drought and low P availability are major limitations for rainfed rice (Oryza spp.) production. Root anatomy plays a key role in resource acquisition and tolerance to P and water limitations. Root anatomical responses of three contrasting rice varieties to combinations of different levels of P (deficient to non-limiting) and water availability (water stress to submergence) were evaluated in two pot trials. P availability was the dominant growth-limiting factor, but anatomical root responses to water availability were more prominent than responses to P availability. Cortical cell file number and number of xylem vessels decreased as a response to water stress, but stele and xylem diameter increased. Low P availability induced thinner xylem vessels and a thinner stele. Drought tolerance related to an overall thicker root stele, thicker xylem vessels and a larger water conductance. Some root traits were observed to be more responsive to water and P availability, whereas other traits were more robust to these environmental factors but highly determined by variety. The observed genotypic variation in root anatomy provides opportunities for trait-based breeding. The plasticity of several traits to multiple environmental factors highlights the need for strategic trait selection or breeding adapted to specific target environments.

Additional keywords: aerenchyma, cortical cells, drought stress, phosphorus uptake, stele, target traits, xylem.


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