Interaction between growth strategies and phosphorus use efficiency in grasses from South America natural grasslands 1

• Published in: Revista Ceres Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 62 - 69
• Main Authors: Marques, Anderson Cesar Ramos, de Oliveira, Leandro Bittencourt, Brunetto, Gustavo, Tavares, Miriam da Silva, de Quadros, Fernando Luiz Ferreira, Nicoloso, Fernando Teixeira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vicosa Universidade Federal de Viçosa-UFV, Revista Ceres 01-01-2020
• Subjects: Conservation; Dry matter; Efficiency; Fertilization; Grasses; Grasslands; Growth rate; Leaves; Metabolism; Nutrients; Phosphorus; Plant growth; Resource conservation; Roots; Soils; Species; Wildlife conservation; Yield; South America
• ISSN: 0034-737X; 2177-3491
• DOI: 10.1590/0034-737X202067010009

In a group of grasses, species with high dry matter yield under limited resource conditions, as nutrients, are characterized by high values of attributes SLA, SRL and SRA and low LDMC values (Ansquer et al., 2004; Wright et al., 2004), i.e. high yield of area or length of roots and leaves per unit of dry matter indicates that a species has attributes for a growth strategies to capture resources, as P from soil. Opposite characteristics, low values of SLA, SRL and SRA, and high values of LDMC lead the species to a low relative growth rate, due low yield of area or length of roots and leaves per unit of dry matter indicates that a species has attributes for a growth strategies to conserve the resources obtained (Wright et al., 2004). [...]in a group of species the concentration of P in leaves and roots are higher for species with growth strategies to resource capture characteristics, which have higher SLA, SRE and SRL, and with lower LDMC, because they are more able to obtain P from the soil. [...]species with a resource capture characteristic have a greater efficiency of P use in the production of dry matter of leaves and of roots, being the group with high capacity of response to fertilization when compared to species with growth strategies to resource conservation. The objective of this study in the main grasses of South America natural grasslands was (i) characterize the change in the attributes SLA, LDMC, LPC, RPC, SRA and SRL at different levels of P in the soil for species with growth strategies to resource capture or resource conservation; (ii) identify if species with higher leaf and root production per unit of dry matter have higher tissue P concentration and P use efficiency; (iii) and classify the main grasses according to the attributes of leaves, roots and P use efficiency.