Description
Red clover is a forage legume of importance in the world with limited persistency; in Chile this is due mainly to the root borer (Hylastinus obscurus Marsham) infestation. Our previous studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between the root borer and the formononetin content in roots of the plants; therefore, studying factors that enhance the concentration of formononetin in the plant could help to decrease the negative effect of the root borer. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between phosphorus availability (P) in the soil interacting with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) over the concentration of formononetin in shoots and roots of red clover. One trial was carried out in a growth chamber at Carillanca Research Center, INIA-Chile, using 6.000 cc pots filled with an Andisol soil. Three levels of soil available phosphorus (10 ppm Olsen-P; 17 ppm Olsen-P; 24 ppm Olsen-P) and two levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (inoculated and non-inoculated with a commercial mixture) were implemented in a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Soil water was maintained between 50 and 100% of the readily available soil water (RAW) by weighting each pot. Formononetin concentration of shoots and roots was evaluated in two sampling dates by extracting with a methanol solution and relative quantifications based on HPLC. Shoot and root biomass were affected significantly by P and not by AMF, being higher with increased P; however, formononetin concentration was higher with reduced P. On the other hand, there was a significant increase of formononetin concentration both in shoots and roots in the treatments inoculated with AMF. The medium level of P (17 ppm) with AMF inoculation shows a good compromise between biomass production and formononetin concentration.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Could Formononetin of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) be Enhanced by Phosphorus and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Management?
Red clover is a forage legume of importance in the world with limited persistency; in Chile this is due mainly to the root borer (Hylastinus obscurus Marsham) infestation. Our previous studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between the root borer and the formononetin content in roots of the plants; therefore, studying factors that enhance the concentration of formononetin in the plant could help to decrease the negative effect of the root borer. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between phosphorus availability (P) in the soil interacting with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) over the concentration of formononetin in shoots and roots of red clover. One trial was carried out in a growth chamber at Carillanca Research Center, INIA-Chile, using 6.000 cc pots filled with an Andisol soil. Three levels of soil available phosphorus (10 ppm Olsen-P; 17 ppm Olsen-P; 24 ppm Olsen-P) and two levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (inoculated and non-inoculated with a commercial mixture) were implemented in a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Soil water was maintained between 50 and 100% of the readily available soil water (RAW) by weighting each pot. Formononetin concentration of shoots and roots was evaluated in two sampling dates by extracting with a methanol solution and relative quantifications based on HPLC. Shoot and root biomass were affected significantly by P and not by AMF, being higher with increased P; however, formononetin concentration was higher with reduced P. On the other hand, there was a significant increase of formononetin concentration both in shoots and roots in the treatments inoculated with AMF. The medium level of P (17 ppm) with AMF inoculation shows a good compromise between biomass production and formononetin concentration.
