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Variation in the ionome of tropical ‘metal crops’ in response to soil potassium availability

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Abstract

Background and Aims

In tropical ultramafic soils, potassium (K) is typically the most growth limiting nutrient. However, tropical nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulator plants, including Phyllanthus rufuschaneyi and Rinorea cf. bengalensis (which are ‘metal crops’ used in agromining) from Malaysia, have unusually high K shoot accumulation compared to other species, despite naturally growing on severely K-impoverished ultramafic soils. This study aimed to establish the response to soil K availability in relation to uptake of K and other elements in the roots and shoots of P. rufuschaneyi and R. cf. bengalensis.

Methodology

We undertook an experiment in which soluble K was dosed to ultramafic soil in pots with P. rufuschaneyi and R. cf. bengalensis in Sabah (Malaysia).

Results

The results show that root K concentrations increased markedly as the soil K availability increased by 35-fold, whilst the corresponding effect on K accumulation in the shoots of P. rufuschaneyi and R. cf. bengalensis was not significantly different in relation to soil K dosing. Observed divergent responses between root and shoot K accumulation in these species suggests a separate genetic control of K uptake and xylem loading in P. rufuschaneyi and R. cf. bengalensis.

Conclusion

The tight control of root-to-shoot K translocation and constrained K accumulation in shoots under a soil K gradient is likely an adaptive mechanism to the evolution of these species to grow in highly nutrient-impoverished ultramafic soils. This study provides information that will be useful for better nutrient management of tropical Ni metal farms that use K-efficient Ni ‘metal crops’.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Sabah Parks for granting permission to conduct research in Kinabalu Park, and the Sabah Biodiversity Council for research permits (JKM/MBS.1000-2/2 Jld. 4 (186)). We thank Deisy Suin for taking care of the nursery. We also thank Richard Yulong, Weiter Minas and Vinson Yempios for their help in the nursery. The French National Research Agency through the national ‘Investissements d’avenir’ program (ANR-10-LABX-21, LABEX RESSOURCES21) is acknowledged for funding support to A. van der Ent and P.N. Nkrumah. P.N. Nkrumah was the recipient of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and UQ Centennial Scholarship at The University of Queensland, Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Philip Nti Nkrumah, Peter D. Erskine & Antony van der Ent

  2. Laboratoire Sols Et Environnement, Université de Lorraine-INRAE, Nancy, France

    Guillaume Echevarria & Antony van der Ent

  3. Chaney Environmental, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Rufus L. Chaney

  4. Sabah Parks, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

    Sukaibin Sumail

Authors
  1. Philip Nti Nkrumah
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  2. Guillaume Echevarria
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  3. Peter D. Erskine
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  4. Rufus L. Chaney
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  5. Sukaibin Sumail
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  6. Antony van der Ent
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Contributions

PNN, GE, PDE, AvdE conceived the study. PNN, GE, PDE, RLC, AvdE designed the study. PNN, PDE, SS, AvdE acquired the data. All authors contributed to data analysis, interpretation of data, drafting of article and final approval of the version submitted.

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Correspondence to Philip Nti Nkrumah.

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Communicated by Juan Barcelo.

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Nkrumah, P.N., Echevarria, G., Erskine, P.D. et al. Variation in the ionome of tropical ‘metal crops’ in response to soil potassium availability. Plant Soil 465, 185–195 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04995-w

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