Journal article
Free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) improves water use efficiency and moderates drought effect on N-2 fixation of Pisum sativum L
Plant and soil, Vol.436, pp.587-606
01/03/2019
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Abstract
Background and aims
Legume N2 fixation is highly sensitive to drought. Elevated [CO2] (e[CO2]) decreases stomatal conductance (gs) and improves water use efficiency (WUE), which may result in soil water conservation and allow N2 fixation to continue longer under drought. Using a Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) approach, this study aimed to elucidate whether e[CO2] improves N2 fixation of Pisum sativum L. under drought.
Methods
In a FACE system, plants were grown in ambient [CO2] (~400 ppm) or e[CO2] (~550 ppm) and subjected to either terminal drought or well-watered treatments. Measurements were taken of photosynthesis, soil water dynamics, water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), amino acids (AA) and N2 fixation.
Results
Lower gs under e[CO2] increased water use efficiency at leaf and plant level, and this translated to slower soil water depletion during drought. Elevated [CO2] increased WSC and decreased total AA concentrations in nodules, and increased nodule activity under drought. N2 fixation was stimulated (+51%) by e[CO2] in proportion to biomass changes. Under e[CO2] a greater proportion of plant total N was derived from fixed N2 and a smaller proportion from soil N uptake compared to a[CO2].
Conclusion
This study suggests that e[CO2] increased WUE and this resulted in slower soil water depletion, allowing pea plants to maintain greater nodule activity under drought and resulting in appreciable increases in N2 fixation. Our results suggest that growth under e[CO2] can mitigate drought effects on N2 fixation and reduce dependency on soil N resources especially in water-limited agro-ecosystems.
Details
- Title
- Free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) improves water use efficiency and moderates drought effect on N-2 fixation of Pisum sativum L
- Creators
- Shahnaj Parvin - University of MelbourneShihab Uddin - Bangladesh Agricultural UniversityGlenn J. Fitzgerald - University of MelbourneSabine Tausz-Posch - University of MelbourneRoger Armstrong - La Trobe UniversityMichael Tausz - University of Melbourne
- Publication Details
- Plant and soil, Vol.436, pp.587-606
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- Grains Research and Development Corporation; Grains R&D Corp Melbourne International Research Scholarship Australian Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
- Identifiers
- 991013098095302368
- Copyright
- (c) Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.
- Academic Unit
- Science; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article