Opportunities for improving phosphorus-use efficiency in crop plants.
Limitation of grain crop productivity by phosphorus (P) is widespread and will probably increase in the future. Enhanced P efficiency can be achieved by improved uptake of phosphate from soil (P-acquisition efficiency) and by improved productivity per unit P taken up (P-use efficiency). This review focuses on improved P-use efficiency, which can be achieved by plants that have overall lower P concentrations, and by optimal distribution and redistribution of P in the plant allowing maximum growth and biomass allocation to harvestable plant parts. Significant decreases in plant P pools may be possible, for example, through reductions of superfluous ribosomal RNA and replacement of phospholipids by sulfolipids and galactolipids. Improvements in P distribution within the plant may be possible by increased remobilization from tissues that no longer need it (e.g. senescing leaves) and reduced partitioning of P to developing grains. Such changes would prolong and enhance the productive use of P in photosynthesis and have nutritional and environmental benefits. Research considering physiological, metabolic, molecular biological, genetic and phylogenetic aspects of P-use efficiency is urgently needed to allow significant progress to be made in our understanding of this complex trait.
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009Australia.
Erik J
EJ
Veneklaas
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009Australia.
Hans
H
Lambers
CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Jason
J
Bragg
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009Australia.
Patrick M
PM
Finnegan
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
Catherine E
CE
Lovelock
Department of Biology and Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6.
William C
WC
Plaxton
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Charles A
CA
Price
Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
Wolf-Rüdiger
WR
Scheible
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Michael W
MW
Shane
The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK.
Philip J
PJ
White
School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK.
John A
JA
Raven
D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction
D010758:Phosphorus