Abstract Detail

Development and Structure

Valls, Rebecca [1], Dacosta-Calheiros, Emmanuel [2], Marques, Edward [2], Rahm, Joseph [1], Varma Penmetsa, Ramachandra [3], Cook, Douglas [4], von Wettberg, Eric [5].

Effect of various nitrogen fertilizers on chickpea leaf and root morphology.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is the second most important pulse legume crop in the world producing over 13 million tons in over 50 countries worldwide. Whether directly through consumption or by feeding livestock, chickpeas and other legumes provide 30% of our nutritional nitrogen; legumes accomplish this by creating symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing rhizobial bacteria within nodules found on the plant’s roots where the legume provides sugar in exchange for bioavailable nitrogen. Due to their nitrogen fixing ability, chickpeas are often grown in rotation with major agricultural crops like wheat and corn in order to reintroduce nitrogen and other nutrients into heavily depleted soils. Although it is widely observed that increasing nitrogen fertilizer applications on legumes inhibits their relationship with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, there is little information on how these limitations affect leaf and root morphologies across wild and cultivated lines of chickpeas. Wild chickpeas grow in extremely nitrogen-limited environments, while cultivated chickpea occurs in deeper soils with more naturally available mineral nitrogen. Root and leaf morphologies hold information regarding plant development, and understanding the plasticity of chickpeas in response to nitrogen level can help to increase efficiency in their agricultural production. We are interested in seeing how various concentrations of nitrogen fertilizer affect the morphology of both root and shoot development of both wild and cultivated lines of chickpeas. We plan to use several computational tools to analyze multiple measurements in the roots and shoot including: internode and petiole length, frequency of branching, leaf shape and root architecture. WinRHIZO (Analysis of Washed Roots and Arabidopsis Seedlings) will be used to study characteristics of roots, while Image J will be used to study characteristics of the shoot and leaves such as branching patterns and leaf area.

1 - Florida International University, Biology, Academic Health Center II 290, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL, 33199, United States
2 - Florida International University, Academic Health Center II 290, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL, 33199, United States
3 - University of California, Davis, Plant Pathology, 116 Robbins Hall, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
4 - University of California, Davis, Plant Pathology, 116 Robbins Hall, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, United States
5 - Florida International University And Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 11200 SW 8th Street, Biological Sciences, Florida International University, OE 167, 11200 SW 8th Street, Biological Sciences, Florida , Miami, FL, 33199, USA

Keywords:
chickpeas
Leaf morphology
root architecture
conservation
adaptation
cicer arietinum.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Development and Structure: Posters
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PDS003
Abstract ID:454
Candidate for Awards:Developmental and Structural Section best poster