Physiological and Nutritional Evaluation of the Application of Phosphite as a Phosphorus Source in Cucumber Plants

• Published in: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 204 - 222
• Main Authors: Constán-Aguilar, C, Sánchez-Rodríguez, E, Rubio-Wilhelmi, M. M, Camacho, M. A, Romero, L, Ruiz, J. M, Blasco, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis 19.01.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; biomass production; Cucumber; cucumbers; culture media; fertilizer rates; Fertilizers; flowers; foliar application; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; leaf area; Nutrition assessment; nutritional assessment; nutritional status; phosphite; phosphorous deficiency; Phosphorus; phosphorus fertilizers; physiological state; Physiology; Soil sciences; phosphorous deficiency; Nutrition; Nutritive value; Cucurbitaceae; Phosphorus; Cucumis sativus; phosphite; Vegetable crop; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Physiology; nutritional assessment; Cucumber
• ISSN: 1532-2416; 0010-3624; 1532-2416; 1532-4133
• DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2013.854374

The aim of this study was to determine how different phosphite and phosphate rates applied together affect the growth and morphology parameters in cucumber plants as well as to characterize the nutritional and physiological state of phosphorus (P). Different foliar application rates of phosphite were applied to analyze subsequent biomass production, the relative growth rate, morphological parameters, P bioindicators, P forms, and P-use efficiency. The data suggest that the application of phosphite as a P fertilizer at a rate of ≥0.5 mM would be an appropriate and effective strategy under suboptimal conditions of phosphate in the growth medium, represented by 0.5 mM in our work, as it improved the growth parameters, number of flowers, leaf area, nutritional state of P, incorporation of P in structural organs, and P-use efficiency by the plant. The results indicate that the validity of the foliar use of phosphite as a P fertilizer in cucumber plants was subject to phosphate availability in the culture medium.