Root Growth and Architecture of Wheat and Brachypodium Vary in Response to Algal Fertilizer in Soil and Solution

Abstract

Alternative, recycled sources for mined phosphorus (P) fertilizers are needed to sustain future crop growth. Quantification of phenotypic adaptations and performance of plants with a recycled nutrient source is required to identify breeding targets and agronomy practices for new fertilization strategies. In this study, we tested the phenotypic responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and its genetic model, Brachypodium (Brachypodium distachyon), to dried algal biomass (with algae or high or low mineral P) under three growing conditions (fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs), hydroponics, and sand). For both species, algal-grown plants had similar shoot biomass to mineral-grown plants, taking up more P than the low mineral P plants. Root phenotypes however were strongly influenced by nutrient form, especially in soilless conditions. Algae promoted the development of shorter and thicker roots, notably first and second order lateral roots. Root hairs were 21% shorter in Brachypodium, but 24% longer in wheat with algae compared to mineral high P. Our results are encouraging to new recycled fertilization strategies, showing algae is a nutrient source to wheat and Brachypodium. Variation in root phenotypes showed algal biomass is sensed by roots and is taken up at a higher amount per root length than mineral P. These phenotypes can be selected and further adapted in phenotype-based breeding for future renewal agriculture systems.

Nitrogen use efficiency of microalgae application in wheat compared to mineral fertilizer

“…It is possible that the nitrogen supply or plant available nitrogen was insufficient compared to the mineral fertilizer. In previous experiments, in which plants were fertilized with microalgae biomass, the duration of the cultivation period was usually only a few weeks, which is why (grain) yield was often not one of the parameters recorded (Ahn et al., 2020; Das et al., 2019; Mau et al., 2022). Similar results in total yield were reported by Coppens et al.…”

Review of Agricultural-Related Water Security in Water-Scarce Countries: Jordan Case Study

“…Even though planting cereals consumes a lot of water [68], moving to hightech agricultural systems may allow the country to cover its needs. Many studies have been carried out on wheat planting using high-tech systems [69,70]. Wheat, barley and fodder hydroponic were tested and are still under investigation; good amounts of fodder were produced using hydroponic systems [71][72][73].…”

Trial Protocol for Evaluating Platforms for Growing Microgreens in Hydroponic Conditions

“…Production of microgreens using hydroponic systems must be planned and controlled with care for controlling environmental factors in order to increase quality parameters [3][4][5][6]. This is in comparison to more conventional production methods using soil, considering all the controllable factors in hydroponic systems that have been shown to influence the accumulation of bioactive substances [7,8], the harvest timeframe [9][10][11], and the quality of the finished product [12][13][14]. Furthermore, the lack of a soil's microbiome in hydroponic systems is also important to consider, as unsuccessful parameterization leaves the plants vulnerable to harmful spoilage by microorganisms [15][16][17].…”