Productivity and Nutrient Quality of <i>Lemna minor</i> as Affected by Microbiome, CO<sub>2</sub> Level, and Nutrient Supply
2022
Madeleine C. Zenir | Marina López-Pozo | Stephanie K. Polutchko | Jared J. Stewart | William W. Adams | Adam Escobar | Barbara Demmig-Adams
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) levels can impact plant photosynthesis and productivity and threaten food security, especially when combined with additional environmental stressors. This study addresses the effects of elevated CO<sub>2</sub> in combination with low nutrient supply on <i>Lemna minor</i> (common duckweed). We quantified plant growth rate and nutritional quality (protein content) and evaluated whether any adverse effects of elevated CO<sub>2</sub>, low nutrients, or the combination of the two could be mitigated by plant-microbe interaction. Plants were grown under controlled conditions and were either uninoculated or inoculated with microorganisms from a local pond that supported <i>L. minor</i> populations. Under low nutrients in combination with high CO<sub>2</sub>, growth (plant area expansion rate) decreased and biomass accumulation increased, albeit with lower nutritional quality (lower percentage of protein per plant biomass). Inoculation with plant-associated microorganisms restored area expansion rate and further stimulated biomass accumulation while supporting a high protein-to-biomass ratio and, thus, a high nutritional quality. These findings indicate that plant-microbe interaction can support a higher nutritional quality of plant biomass under elevated atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels, an important finding for both human and non-human consumers during a time of rapid environmental change.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Directory of Open Access Journals