Root Architecture to Increase Nutrient Use Efficiency - Term Paper Example

Root Architecture to Increase Nutrient Use Efficiency Name Institution Abstract This paper recoils around root architecture in ensuring that there is an increase of nutrients in the soil for use, most preferably, efficiently. In particular, it researches on the best ways of promoting maximum utility of nutrients by the roots of plants, for instance the phosphates. Categorically, it specifies the types of Phosphorus fertilizer available for use and its dynamics in adding nutrients to plants. However, it provides means of reducing phosphates immobilization, as it proportionately determines the amount of phosphates required in the soil. Introduction Universally, both plants and animals require some amounts of nutrients to grow. Living organisms seem to correlate and depend on one another for some levels of phosphates. For example, plants absorb this kind of nutrient from the soil particles for their own use: growth and development. Dahal argues that not only plants need these phosphates, but also animals do, as they feed on plants to obtain the same (1977). For example, plants need Phosphorus containing compounds to enable their photosynthetic process while animals need for formation of strong bones in respect to the combination of some Calcium levels. However, the soil is the main producer of these nutrients when both plants and animals die and decay; adding nutrients to the soils. Sometime phosphates are unavailable in the soils, especially when rains wash them away. Concerning the beneficial importance of the soils, there is a need to come up with ways of cutting-down wastages associated with phosphates use inefficiency, thus promoting root architecture having the required levels of phosphates for the good of all living things. Types of Phosphorus Fertilizers Phosphorus containing compounds occur in two forms: the organic phosphates and the inorganic phosphates. Both types are vital in assisting plants growth vis-à-vis the root, but they differ in terms of phosphate content. Concerning the former kind (Organic phosphates), they derive their phosphate content from the organic matter, such as carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and hydrogen (Wagner et al, 1986). However, the organic content of phosphates increases as the soils becomes more acidic in relation to an increasingly reduced number of cultivation applicable to the very soil. This is possible if there is an extended periods of grazing by animals, most preferably, in New Zealand. Despite the fact that organic phosphates are much less important relative to inorganic phosphates, they are more useful when in soil solution. For instance, in light textured-sands, myo-inositol phosphates deem available as they occasion faster plants growth in spite of some fewer levels the charged ionic particles of the soil absorbs. However, their high molecular weights make the roots not to absorb them efficiently. On the other hand, inorganic phosphates are ready for use by the plants because of their forms; minerals. Relative to mineralization as a process of converting organic to inorganic phosphates, plants’ roots make use of these minerals. They occur in three kinds of protonations, which have different pH, ranging from 5 to 6. These two kinds of inorganic phosphates are dominant in the soil: H2PO4 and HPO4. The formation of this sort of phosphates requires processes, such as precipitation-dissolution and sorption-desorption in order to concentrate the precipitates. There is concentration of minerals in the soil solution to bring forth dissolution of precipitates, as the soils involve adsorption in ensuring the plants take up all nutrients available from the surface of the soil. Dynamics of Organic Phosphates Dynamics of phosphates entail the to-and-fro processes, which concurrently take place in the soil. The processes are immobilization and mineralization. Immobilization increases the level of unavailable organic phosphates in the soil whereas; mineralization increases amounts of available inorganic phosphates that are readily useful to plants’ roots. Hence, it is important to check on efficiency use of fertilizers by the plants, simply because some levels of applied fertilizers may undergo immobilization; reducing their required amounts by the plants. Concerning New Zealand as a country of reference, it is clear that out of 18 kilograms of phosphates applied per hectare of land, only 8 kilograms were useful to plants. The demand of fertilizers per hectare of land tends to increase in relation to the acid level in the soil (Ortiz-Monasterio et al, 2002). Though the struggle of neutralizing the effects of acidity by lime, amounts of immobilized phosphates continue to increase. In enhancing efficiency use of phosphates, then one minimizes immobilization process by adding larger amount of lime to the soil. The Fate of Fertilizer Phosphates Added to the Soil Though people add some mono-calcium phosphates to the soils, some reactions, however, convert them into di-calcium phosphates, which are of low pH scale. Blaylock et al (2005) asserts that these reactions are continuously taking place inside the soil structure, thus destroying the inorganic content of phosphates. In soil solution, there is adsorption of inorganic phosphates depending on the extent to which the soil solution recharges its soil particles. Plants’ growth mainly depend on the availability of useful inorganic phosphates in soil solution, but sometimes, these very nutrients penetrate beneath the surface of adsorbing materials, and hence they do not derive as much as phosphates they require. Addition of fertilizers in the soil seems to increase the content of phosphates in soil solution. On the other hand, these added phosphates are not enough for rapid plants growth in respect to the slow decomposition process, which deny the plants the required content of phosphorus for their faster growth. Efficient use of phosphorus mainly depends on the life cycle of soil organisms, which undertake the process of breaking down soil particles into useful nutrients. The short period analysis of this life cycle reduces the period of breaking every particle into beneficial nutrient content, such as the phosphates. Major researches in the land of New Zealand proposes that not more than 80% of both the added phosphates and the recycled is useful in the soil because some percentages deplete in the soil particles, and thus unavailable for plants growth. Minimizing Phosphates Immobilization Researching on best ways of reducing phosphates’ losses is a significant factor that most farmers are ready to apply for their own benefit. Therefore, some recommendations are imperative in enhancing farmers lose high level of fertilizers no more. Most importantly, it is wise to consider the conditions and types of soils before embarking on the application of phosphates (Fixen, 2005). For instance, acid soils tend to need more amount of fertilizers. More so, farmers plant plants, which do not use or require high amount of phosphates so as not to jam up the soil solution with excess content of phosphates. In any case, growing on different specifies of plants is applicable, simply because it enriches the soil with different kind of nutrients, especially when plants die and decompose in the very soil. If the phosphorus containing compounds release as much as nutrients the plants demand, then plants would grow averagely faster, hence farmer minimizing the losses. Further, luxury consumption, which is the tendency of plants to use excess phosphates, deems low, as farmers supply plants with the recommended amount of fertilizers in relation to their demand. Estimating the Need of Phosphates in the Soil Trying to determine the amount of phosphates plants demand for their growth is essential and critical, but the process itself is difficult because of the soil solution in which the phosphates underlie. The determination of phosphates can only be valid if farmers research on the level of phosphates soil supplies to the plants. This entirely depends on the adsorbed particles and the microbial organisms, whose activities impact positively to the roots of plants. However, farmers endorse the use of chemical test in estimating the amount of phosphorus required. This is possible in the following ways: at Ph of 8, not more than 0.5 M solution of Sodium Bicarbonate extracts phosphates from the soil particles and that adsorbed from the charged surface (McLaren & Cameron, 1990). Though the test seems comparative to other tests, it is limited to some levels in that it does not guarantee one with a valid and consistent estimations; it is not reliable. Besides, another approach of testing is available: entails the capacity of soil solution to dissipate an increasingly larger amount of phosphates, especially when one shakes the soil with a solution containing 900 mg/kg of the initial solution. Therefore, it is of significant use to determine the supply of phosphates in relation to the demand by the plants, thus quantifying the soil with the required quantity of phosphorus containing compounds. Conclusion Phosphorus containing compounds are vital in any dynamism of a living organism. Whether in organic or inorganic form, it is beneficial and a necessity due to the fact that it adds to the soil particles nutrients, which are essential for plants’ growth. Therefore, there is a need to come up with means of reducing the inefficiency in terms of fertilizers use. However, the comparative disadvantage of immobilization process, some organic phosphates content are nutritious to plants. To add, efficient use of phosphates depends on the ability of farmers to classify various types of soils in relation to the acid content they contain. Most importantly, some chemical processes, such mineralization assist farmers by reducing the amount of phosphates they need to apply for the growth of their plants. Conclusively, efficiency use of these phosphates is what one requires to promote the aspect of root architecture relative to levels of fertilizers applied (Syers & Cornforth, 1983). References Blaylock, A. D., Kaufmann, J., & Dowbenko, R. D. (2005). Phosphorus fertilizer technologies: Proceedings of the Western Nutrient Management Conference. Salt Lake City, Utah,Vol. 6, pp. 8-13. Dahal, R.C. (1977). Soil organic phosphorus: advances in Agronomy. Volume 28, 83-117. Fixen, P.E. (2005). Understanding and improving nutrient use efficiency as an application of information technology: Proceedings of the Symposium on Information Technology in Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Management, a satellite symposium at the XV International Plant Nutrient Colloquium. Beijing, China. McLaren, R.G, & Cameron, K.C. (1990). Soil Science: an introduction to the properties And management of New Zealand soils. Ortiz-Monasterio, J. I., Peña, R. J., Pfeiffer, W. H., & Hede, A. H. (2002). Phosphorus use efficiency, grain yield, and quality of triticale and durum wheat under irrigated Conditions Proceedings of the 5th International Triticale Symposium. Radzików,Poland. Syers, J. K, & Cornforth, I. S. (1983). Chemistry of Soil Fertility: Read at the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Annual Conference, Hamilton. Wagner, B. I., Stewart, J. W., & Henry, J. L. (1986). Comparison of single large broadcast and small annual seed-placed phosphorus treatments on yield and phosphorus and zinc contents of wheaton Chernozemic soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 66: 237. Read More