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High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)

Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) are ornamental plants in the family Ericaceae that thrive in acidic soils and are challenged by neutral or alkaline soils. This soil requirement limits the locations where rhododendrons can be grown and causes chlorosis, diminished growth, and low survival when rhod...

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Autores principales: Turner, Ashley J., Arzola, Camila I., Nunez, Gerardo H.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7465443/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32806762
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants9081019
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author Turner, Ashley J.
Arzola, Camila I.
Nunez, Gerardo H.
author_facet Turner, Ashley J.
Arzola, Camila I.
Nunez, Gerardo H.
author_sort Turner, Ashley J.
collection PubMed
description Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) are ornamental plants in the family Ericaceae that thrive in acidic soils and are challenged by neutral or alkaline soils. This soil requirement limits the locations where rhododendrons can be grown and causes chlorosis, diminished growth, and low survival when rhododendrons are grown in high pH soils. While growth and survival impacts are widely documented, little is known about how high pH soils cause these symptoms in rhododendrons. We hypothesized that high pH stress impacts root form and function, leading to nutrient deficiencies that limit plant growth. We tested this hypothesis in a hydroponic experiment. “Mardi Gras” rhododendron liners were grown in a complete nutrient solution at pH 5.5 (optimum pH) or pH 6.5 (high pH) for 49 days. Biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake and concentration, and root stress were assessed. High pH nutrient solutions diminished leaf and root growth. Plants grown in high pH nutrient solutions developed clusters of short, highly branched roots. Plants grown in optimum pH did not exhibit this morphology. High pH affected the uptake and translocation of most essential nutrients. S and Mn deficiencies likely limited plant growth. High pH had a nuanced effect on root oxidative status. These results suggest that rhododendron root morphology and nutrient uptake are directly affected by high pH and that aboveground symptoms might be a consequence of impaired root function.
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spelling pubmed-74654432020-09-04 High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) Turner, Ashley J. Arzola, Camila I. Nunez, Gerardo H. Plants (Basel) Article Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) are ornamental plants in the family Ericaceae that thrive in acidic soils and are challenged by neutral or alkaline soils. This soil requirement limits the locations where rhododendrons can be grown and causes chlorosis, diminished growth, and low survival when rhododendrons are grown in high pH soils. While growth and survival impacts are widely documented, little is known about how high pH soils cause these symptoms in rhododendrons. We hypothesized that high pH stress impacts root form and function, leading to nutrient deficiencies that limit plant growth. We tested this hypothesis in a hydroponic experiment. “Mardi Gras” rhododendron liners were grown in a complete nutrient solution at pH 5.5 (optimum pH) or pH 6.5 (high pH) for 49 days. Biomass accumulation, nutrient uptake and concentration, and root stress were assessed. High pH nutrient solutions diminished leaf and root growth. Plants grown in high pH nutrient solutions developed clusters of short, highly branched roots. Plants grown in optimum pH did not exhibit this morphology. High pH affected the uptake and translocation of most essential nutrients. S and Mn deficiencies likely limited plant growth. High pH had a nuanced effect on root oxidative status. These results suggest that rhododendron root morphology and nutrient uptake are directly affected by high pH and that aboveground symptoms might be a consequence of impaired root function. MDPI 2020-08-12 /pmc/articles/PMC7465443/ /pubmed/32806762 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants9081019 Text en © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Turner, Ashley J.
Arzola, Camila I.
Nunez, Gerardo H.
High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title_full High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title_fullStr High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title_full_unstemmed High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title_short High pH Stress Affects Root Morphology and Nutritional Status of Hydroponically Grown Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
title_sort high ph stress affects root morphology and nutritional status of hydroponically grown rhododendron (rhododendron spp.)
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7465443/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32806762
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants9081019
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