Files and links (1)
CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Do plants use root-derived proteases to promote the uptake of soil organic nitrogen?
Plant and soil, Vol.456(1-2), pp.355-367
2020
PMID: 33087989
Abstract
Aims
The capacity of plant roots to directly acquire organic nitrogen (N) in the form of oligopeptides and amino acids from soil is well established. However, plants have poor access to protein, the central reservoir of soil organic N. Our question is: do plants actively secrete proteases to enhance the breakdown of soil protein or are they functionally reliant on soil microorganisms to undertake this role?
Methods
Growing maize and wheat under sterile hydroponic conditions with and without inorganic N, we measured protease activity on the root surface (root-bound proteases) or exogenously in the solution (free proteases). We compared root protease activities to the rhizosphere microbial community to estimate the ecological significance of root-derived proteases.
Results
We found little evidence for the secretion of free proteases, with almost all protease activity associated with the root surface. Root protease activity was not stimulated under N deficiency. Our findings suggest that cereal roots contribute one-fifth of rhizosphere protease activity.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that plant N uptake is only functionally significant when soil protein is in direct contact with root surfaces. The lack of protease upregulation under N deficiency suggests that root protease activity is unrelated to enhanced soil N capture.
Details
- Title
- Do plants use root-derived proteases to promote the uptake of soil organic nitrogen?
- Authors/Creators
- Lucy M. Greenfield - Bangor UniversityPaul W. Hill - Bangor UniversityEric Paterson - James Hutton InstituteElizabeth M. Baggs - University of EdinburghDavey L. Jones - Bangor University
- Publication Details
- Plant and soil, Vol.456(1-2), pp.355-367
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Grant note
- NE/M009106/1 / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268) NE/M009106/1 / Natural Environment Research Council (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270)
- Identifiers
- 991005560439507891
- Copyright
- © 2020 The Author(s)
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Metrics
1 File views/ downloads
19 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.45 Soil Science
- 3.45.112 Soil Carbon Dynamics
- Web Of Science research areas
- Agronomy
- Plant Sciences
- Soil Science
- ESI research areas
- Agricultural Sciences