Assessment on Phosphorus Efficiency Characteristics of Soybean Genotypes in Phosphorus-Deficient Soils

A glasshouse study compared the growth and phosphorus (P) efficiency of 96 genotypes of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] in a P-deficient soil. The soybean genotypes differed greatly in growth, nodulation and P uptake after growing in the soil for 45 days, with shoot biomass ranging from 0.91 to 1.75 g per plant. The application of P improved biomass production, nodulation and P uptake and decreased root to shoot ratio, root length and surface area and P utilization efficiency. The 96 soybean genotypes were divided into 3 categories in P efficiency using the principal component analysis and cluster analysis, and 4 categories according to F values in combination with growth potentials. The P-efficient genotypes were associated with high biomass production, root to shoot ratio, root length and surface area and P uptake but low shoot to root P concentration ratio under P deficiency. The results indicate that there is a substantial genotypic variation in P efficiency in existing germplasm, and that P efficiency was correlated positively with dry weights of shoots and roots, ratio of root to shoot dry weight, root length and surface area, root P content and total P uptake. The shoot dry weight under P deficiency and relative shoot dry weight (deficient P/adequate P supply) are effective and simple indicators for screening P-efficient genotypes at the seedling stage.