Response of chickpea genotypes with contrasting root morphological traits to phosphorus placement

Description

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a valuable legume crop for human nutrition due to its high protein content. A glasshouse study investigated the relationship between the root morphological characteristics of two contrasting chickpea genotypes and phosphorus (P) placement methods (banded versus top-dressed) using 1.5m deep rhizoboxes. The study showed that P placement had a significant impact on the growth and development of chickpea plants. Banded P improved soil exploration and promoted thinner roots efficient in using P for the growth with high P-use efficiency compared to top-dressed P treatment. Genotypic differences were more pronounced for shoot traits than for root traits, with no major interactions between genotype and P placement treatments for most traits. Further research will study the effect of P placement on chickpea under field conditions, and investigate how cultivars with other contrasting root traits (i.e. carboxylate exudation and mycorrhizal responsiveness) interact with P placement to affect plant growth and production.