There are two plant phosphorus (P)-uptake pathways, namely the direct P uptake by roots and the indirect P uptake through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Maximizing the efficiency of root and AMF processes associated with P acquisition by adjusting soil conditions is important for simultaneously ensuring high yields and the efficient use of available P. | Simultaneously maximizing root mycorrhizal growth and phosphorus uptake by cotton plants by optimizing water and phosphorus management .den color inherit .ttnd ol .ttnd ul .ttnd dl padding 0 0px 0 20px .ttnd hr margin 10px 0px .ttnd a href javascript void 0 .ttnd a href color inherit dtextscript p text-align left dtextscript img vertical-align middle Mai et al. BMC Plant Biology 2018 18 334 lt br gt https s12870-018-1550-8 lt br gt lt br gt lt br gt lt br gt lt br gt RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access lt br gt lt br gt Simultaneously maximizing root lt br gt mycorrhizal growth and phosphorus lt br gt uptake by cotton plants by optimizing lt br gt water and phosphorus management lt br gt Wenxuan Mai1 2 4 Xiangrong Xue1 2 Gu Feng3 and Changyan Tian1 2 lt br gt lt br gt lt br gt Abstract lt br gt Background There are two plant phosphorus P -uptake pathways namely the direct P uptake by roots and the lt br gt indirect P uptake through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi AMF . Maximizing the efficiency of root and AMF processes lt br gt associated with P acquisition by adjusting soil conditions is important for simultaneously ensuring high yields and lt br gt the efficient use of available P. lt br gt Results A root box experiment was conducted in 2015 and 2016. The aim was to investigate the effects of lt br gt different P and soil water conditions on root mycorrhizal growth and P uptake by cotton plants. Hyphal growth lt br gt was induced in well-watered soil but decreased with increasing P concentrations. Additionally P fertilizers lt br gt regulated root length only under well-watered conditions with the longest roots observed in response to g lt br gt P2O5 kg 1. In contrast root elongation was essentially unaffected by P fertilizers under drought conditions. And soil lt br gt water in general had more significant effects on root and hyphal growth than phosphorus levels. In well-watered lt br gt soil the application of P significantly increased the cotton .
