Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water

Shihab Uddin; Markus Löw; Shahnaj Parvin; Glenn J Fitzgerald; Sabine Tausz-Posch; Roger Armstrong; Garry O'Leary; Michael Tausz

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198928

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Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water

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Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water

Shihab Uddin, Markus Löw, Shahnaj Parvin, Glenn J Fitzgerald, Sabine Tausz-Posch, Roger Armstrong, Garry O'Leary and Michael Tausz

PloS one, Vol.13(6), e0198928

14/06/2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198928

PMCID: PMC6002051

PMID: 29902235

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Abstract

Atmosphere - chemistry

Biomass

Carbon Dioxide - analysis

Carbon Dioxide - pharmacology

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug

Droughts

Plant Roots - drug effects

Plant Roots - growth & development

Soil - chemistry

Triticum - drug effects

Triticum - growth & development

Water - analysis

Through stimulation of root growth, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) may facilitate access of crops to sub-soil water, which could potentially prolong physiological activity in dryland environments, particularly because crops are more water use efficient under elevated [CO2] (e[CO2]). This study investigated the effect of drought in shallow soil versus sub-soil on agronomic and physiological responses of wheat to e[CO2] in a glasshouse experiment. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yitpi) was grown in split-columns with the top (0-30 cm) and bottom (31-60 cm; 'sub-soil') soil layer hydraulically separated by a wax-coated, root-penetrable layer under ambient [CO2] (a[CO2], ∼400 μmol mol-1) or e[CO2] (∼700 μmol mol-1) [CO2]. Drought was imposed from stem-elongation in either the top or bottom soil layer or both by withholding 33% of the irrigation, resulting in four water treatments (WW, WD, DW, DD; D = drought, W = well-watered, letters denote water treatment in top and bottom soil layer, respectively). Leaf gas exchange was measured weekly from stem-elongation until anthesis. Above-and belowground biomass, grain yield and yield components were evaluated at three developmental stages (stem-elongation, anthesis and maturity). Compared with a[CO2], net assimilation rate was higher and stomatal conductance was lower under e[CO2], resulting in greater intrinsic water use efficiency. Elevated [CO2] stimulated both above- and belowground biomass as well as grain yield, however, this stimulation was greater under well-watered (WW) than drought (DD) throughout the whole soil profile. Imposition of drought in either or both soil layers decreased aboveground biomass and grain yield under both [CO2] compared to the well-watered treatment. However, the greatest 'CO2 fertilisation effect' was observed when drought was imposed in the top soil layer only (DW), and this was associated with e[CO2]-stimulation of root growth especially in the well-watered bottom layer. We suggest that stimulation of belowground biomass under e[CO2] will allow better access to sub-soil water during grain filling period, when additional water is converted into additional yield with high efficiency in Mediterranean-type dryland agro-ecosystems. If sufficient water is available in the sub-soil, e[CO2] may help mitigating the effect of drying surface soil.

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Title: Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water
Creators: Shihab Uddin - University of Melbourne
Markus Löw - University of Melbourne
Shahnaj Parvin - Bangladesh Agricultural University
Glenn J Fitzgerald - University of Melbourne
Sabine Tausz-Posch - University of Melbourne
Roger Armstrong - La Trobe University
Garry O'Leary - Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and Resources
Michael Tausz - University of Melbourne
Publication Details: PloS one, Vol.13(6), e0198928
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Identifiers: 991013098097302368
Copyright: © 2018 Uddin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water

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