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Review
. 2023 Aug 3;12(15):2861.
doi: 10.3390/plants12152861.

Phosphorus Plays Key Roles in Regulating Plants' Physiological Responses to Abiotic Stresses

Fahad Khan  1 , Abu Bakar Siddique  1 , Sergey Shabala  2   3 , Meixue Zhou  1 , Chenchen Zhao  1
Affiliations
Review

Phosphorus Plays Key Roles in Regulating Plants' Physiological Responses to Abiotic Stresses

Fahad Khan et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Phosphorus (P), an essential macronutrient, plays a pivotal role in the growth and development of plants. However, the limited availability of phosphorus in soil presents significant challenges for crop productivity, especially when plants are subjected to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and extreme temperatures. Unraveling the intricate mechanisms through which phosphorus participates in the physiological responses of plants to abiotic stresses is essential to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production systems. This review aims to analyze the influence of phosphorus supply on various aspects of plant growth and plant development under hostile environmental conditions, with a special emphasis on stomatal development and operation. Furthermore, we discuss recently discovered genes associated with P-dependent stress regulation and evaluate the feasibility of implementing P-based agricultural practices to mitigate the adverse effects of abiotic stress. Our objective is to provide molecular and physiological insights into the role of P in regulating plants' tolerance to abiotic stresses, underscoring the significance of efficient P use strategies for agricultural sustainability. The potential benefits and limitations of P-based strategies and future research directions are also discussed.

Keywords: abiotic stresses; low phosphorus; phosphorus deficiency; physiological responses; stomatal functioning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Publications per year based on Scopus data from 2000 to 2022, quantifying “phosphorus” studies in “plants”.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A diagrammatic representation of phosphorus dynamics from soil to plants. Adapted from [25] with modifications. Created using BioRender (accessed on 23 March 2023, https://biorender.com/).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Localized functions of phosphorus in different parts of the plant. Created using BioRender (accessed on 4 May 2023, https://biorender.com/).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Role of phosphorus in mitigating the impact of abiotic stresses in plants. Created using BioRender (accessed on 23 March 2023, https://biorender.com/).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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