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Review
. 2023 Feb;237(4):1122-1135.
doi: 10.1111/nph.18588. Epub 2022 Dec 2.

Phosphorus fractions in leaves

Lalith D B Suriyagoda  1   2 , Megan H Ryan  3   4 , Clément E Gille  2 , Roberta L C Dayrell  2 , Patrick M Finnegan  2 , Kosala Ranathunge  2 , Dion Nicol  3   4   5 , Hans Lambers  2   4
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Phosphorus fractions in leaves

Lalith D B Suriyagoda et al. New Phytol. 2023 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Leaf phosphorus (P) comprises four major fractions: inorganic phosphate (Pi ), nucleic acids, phospholipids, P-containing metabolites and a residual fraction. In this review paper, we investigated whether allocation of P fractions varies among groups of terrestrial vascular plants, and is indicative of a species' strategy to use P efficiently. We found that as leaf total P concentration increases, the Pi fraction increases the most, without a plateau, while other fractions plateau. Variability of the concentrations of leaf P fractions is greatest among families > species(family) > regions > plant life forms. The percentage of total P allocated to nucleic acid-P (20-35%) and lipid-P (14-34%) varies less among families/species. High photosynthetic P-use efficiency is associated with low concentrations of all P fractions, and preferential allocation of P to metabolite-P and mesophyll cells. Sequential resorption of P from senescing leaves starts with Pi , followed by metabolite-P, and then other organic P fractions. Allocation of P to leaf P fractions varies with season. Leaf phytate concentrations vary considerably among species, associated with variation in photosynthesis and defence. Plasticity of P allocation to its fractions is important for acclimation to low soil P availability, and species-specific P allocation is needed for co-occurrence with other species.

Keywords: crop improvement; organic phosphorus; phospholipids; phosphorus fractions; phosphorus-use efficiency.

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References

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