Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems
Abstract Drought has a significant impact on ecosystem functions, especially on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P), which is a crucial nutrient for plant growth and productivity. Despite its importance, the effects of different drought scenarios on soil P cycling and availability remain po...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Plant Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06092-x |
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| author | Mohsin Mahmood Jujie Wang Sajid Mehmood Waqas Ahmed Anam Ayyoub Mahmoud F. Seleiman Ahmed Salah Elrys Ahmed S. M. Elnahal Adnan Mustafa Xiuwen Wei Weidong Li |
| author_facet | Mohsin Mahmood Jujie Wang Sajid Mehmood Waqas Ahmed Anam Ayyoub Mahmoud F. Seleiman Ahmed Salah Elrys Ahmed S. M. Elnahal Adnan Mustafa Xiuwen Wei Weidong Li |
| author_sort | Mohsin Mahmood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Drought has a significant impact on ecosystem functions, especially on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P), which is a crucial nutrient for plant growth and productivity. Despite its importance, the effects of different drought scenarios on soil P cycling and availability remain poorly understood in previous studies. This study simulated drought conditions in tropical soils using maize as a test crop under varying field capacity (FC) levels (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%) over a 60-day pot experiment. P uptake and plant biomass decreased significantly lower FC level. P uptake was highest at FC100 (5 g kg−¹) and lowest at FC20 (3.5 g kg−¹). Similarly, biomass was greatest at FC100 (70 g plant−¹) and declined to 35 g plant−¹ at FC20, underscoring the adverse effects of drought on P availability and growth. The results showed a substantial increase in calcium-associated P (HClD-Pi), reaching 45% at FC20. Conversely, labile inorganic P fractions (NaHCO₃-Pi and NaOH-Pi) decreased significantly, from 14.73 to 6.2 mg kg−¹ and 29.4 to 17.7 mg kg−¹, respectively, in FC20 compared to FC100. Organic P fractions (NaHCO₃-Po, NaOH-Po) increased by 6 and 2.4 times, respectively, under lower FC treatments, while HClc-Po was also elevated under drier conditions. These transformations were attributed to changes in soil pH and calcium content, favoring the stabilization of P as HClD-Pi. Drought disrupted the replenishment of inorganic P in the soil solution, reducing bioavailability, though phosphatase activity enhanced organic P release. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed positive associations between labile and moderately labile P fractions (NaHCO₃-Pi, NaOH-Pi, HClD-Pi) and soil elements (Ca, Al, Fe). RDA highlighted a positive link between phosphatase activity and reduced labile P, while P uptake and biomass were strongly associated with labile and moderately labile P fractions. These findings demonstrate drought’s significant impact on P bioavailability, soil P cycling, and nutrient dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-17c393e96c6449e3916ef029ec5f131a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2229 |
| language | English |
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| series | BMC Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-17c393e96c6449e3916ef029ec5f131a2025-01-19T12:16:37ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-01-0125111610.1186/s12870-025-06092-xInfluence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystemsMohsin Mahmood0Jujie Wang1Sajid Mehmood2Waqas Ahmed3Anam Ayyoub4Mahmoud F. Seleiman5Ahmed Salah Elrys6Ahmed S. M. Elnahal7Adnan Mustafa8Xiuwen Wei9Weidong Li10Center for Eco-Environment Restoration of Hainan Province, School of Ecology, Hainan UniversityLangfang Polytechnic InstituteCenter for Eco-Environment Restoration of Hainan Province, School of Ecology, Hainan UniversityCenter for Eco-Environment Restoration of Hainan Province, School of Ecology, Hainan UniversityCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F UniversityDepartment of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud UniversitySoil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig UniversityPlant Pathology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig UniversityGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesResearch Academy of Environmental SciencesCenter for Eco-Environment Restoration of Hainan Province, School of Ecology, Hainan UniversityAbstract Drought has a significant impact on ecosystem functions, especially on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P), which is a crucial nutrient for plant growth and productivity. Despite its importance, the effects of different drought scenarios on soil P cycling and availability remain poorly understood in previous studies. This study simulated drought conditions in tropical soils using maize as a test crop under varying field capacity (FC) levels (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%) over a 60-day pot experiment. P uptake and plant biomass decreased significantly lower FC level. P uptake was highest at FC100 (5 g kg−¹) and lowest at FC20 (3.5 g kg−¹). Similarly, biomass was greatest at FC100 (70 g plant−¹) and declined to 35 g plant−¹ at FC20, underscoring the adverse effects of drought on P availability and growth. The results showed a substantial increase in calcium-associated P (HClD-Pi), reaching 45% at FC20. Conversely, labile inorganic P fractions (NaHCO₃-Pi and NaOH-Pi) decreased significantly, from 14.73 to 6.2 mg kg−¹ and 29.4 to 17.7 mg kg−¹, respectively, in FC20 compared to FC100. Organic P fractions (NaHCO₃-Po, NaOH-Po) increased by 6 and 2.4 times, respectively, under lower FC treatments, while HClc-Po was also elevated under drier conditions. These transformations were attributed to changes in soil pH and calcium content, favoring the stabilization of P as HClD-Pi. Drought disrupted the replenishment of inorganic P in the soil solution, reducing bioavailability, though phosphatase activity enhanced organic P release. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed positive associations between labile and moderately labile P fractions (NaHCO₃-Pi, NaOH-Pi, HClD-Pi) and soil elements (Ca, Al, Fe). RDA highlighted a positive link between phosphatase activity and reduced labile P, while P uptake and biomass were strongly associated with labile and moderately labile P fractions. These findings demonstrate drought’s significant impact on P bioavailability, soil P cycling, and nutrient dynamics.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06092-xP CyclingDrought conditionsPlant P uptakePhosphatase activityPlant biomassP fractions |
| spellingShingle | Mohsin Mahmood Jujie Wang Sajid Mehmood Waqas Ahmed Anam Ayyoub Mahmoud F. Seleiman Ahmed Salah Elrys Ahmed S. M. Elnahal Adnan Mustafa Xiuwen Wei Weidong Li Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems BMC Plant Biology P Cycling Drought conditions Plant P uptake Phosphatase activity Plant biomass P fractions |
| title | Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| title_full | Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| title_short | Influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| title_sort | influence of drought stress on phosphorus dynamics and maize growth in tropical ecosystems |
| topic | P Cycling Drought conditions Plant P uptake Phosphatase activity Plant biomass P fractions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06092-x |
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