Progress in Plant Nutrition: Plenary Lectures of the XIV International Plant Nutrition Colloquium: Food security and sustainability of agro-ecosystems through basic and applied research

176 Pages·2002·5.3 MB·English

by  Ismail Cakmak (auth.)

PROGRESS IN PLANT NUTRITION:
PLENARY LECTURES OF THE XIV INTERNATIONAL
PLANT NUTRITION COLLOQUIUM
Progress in Plant Nutrition:
Plenary Lectures of the XIV
International Plant Nutrition
Colloquium
Food security and sustainability of agro-ecosystems through basic and applied research
Edited by
W.J. HORST
A.BURKERT
N. CLAASSEN
H. FLESSA
W.B. FROMMER
H.GOLDBACH
W.MERBACH
H.-W.OLFS
V. ROMHELD
B. SATTELMACHER
U. SCHMIDHALTER
M.K.SCHENK
and
N.v. WIREN
Reprinted from Plant and Soil, Volume 247, No.1 (2002).
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Pub1ication Data
A C.I.P. Cata10gue record for this book is avai1ab1e from the library of Congress.
ISBN 978-90-481-6191-1 ISBN 978-94-017-2789-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-2789-1
Printed an acid-free paper
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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by K1uwer Academic Publishers in 2002
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 2002
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice
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Contents
PROGRESS IN PLANT NUTRITION:
PLENARY LECTURES OF THE XIV INTERNATIONAL
PLANT NUTRITION COLLOQUIUM
Food security and sustainability of agro-ecosystems through basic and applied research
Preface vii
Plenary lectures
1. Plant nutrition research: Priorities to meet human needs for food in sustainable ways
I. Cakmak 3
2. Access and excess problems in plant nutrition
M. van Noordwijk and G. Cadisch 25
Symposium: Genetics and molecular biology ofp lant nutrition
3. Molecular mechanisms of potassium and sodium uptake in plants
P. Maser, M. Gierth and J.1. Schroeder 43
Symposium: Nutrient functions
4. A proposed role for copper ions in cell wall loosening
S.c. Fry, J.G. Miller and J.C. Dumville 57
Symposium: The role of the apoplast in plant mineral nutrition
5. The functions of cell wall polysaccharides in composition and architecture revealed through
mutations
N.C. Carpita and M.C. McCann 71
Symposium: Mineral nutrition: plant quality and plant health
6. The impact of mineral nutrients in food crops on global human health
RM. Welch 83
Symposium: Salinity and plant - soil - water relations
7. Avenues for increasing salt tolerance of crops, and the role of physiologically based selection
traits
R Munns, S. Husain, AR Rivelli, RA James, AG. Condon, M.P. Lindsay, E.S. Lagudah,
D.P. Schachtman and RA Hare 93
Symposium: Mineral element toxicity and resistance
8. Mechanisms of metal resistance in plants: aluminum and heavy metals
L.V. Kochian, N.S. Pence, D.L.D. Letham, M.A. Pineros, J.v. Magalhaes, O.A. Hoekenga and
D.F. Garvin 109
Symposium: Nutrient acquisition: mechanisms and modelling
9. Use of modellinfl; to understand nutrient acquisition by plants
G.J.D. Kirk 123
Symposium: Soil organisms/plant interactions
10. Malate plays a central role in plant nutrition
J. Schulze, M. Tesfaye, R.H.M.G. Litjens, B. Bucciarelli, G. Trepp, S. Miller, D. Samac, D. Allan
and C.P. Vance 133
Symposium: Fertilizer use with regard to optimum yield and environment
11. Precision agriculture: a challenge for crop nutrition management
P.e. Robert 143
Symposium: Plant nutrition and sustainable development
12. Plant nutrient management for enhanced productivity in intensive grain production systems of
the United States and Asia
A. Dobermann and K.G. Cassman 153
Symposium: Nutrient dynamics in natural and agricultural ecosystems - Processes and modelling
13. Nitrogen saturation in temperate forest ecosystems: current theory, remaining questions and
recent advances
J.D. Aber 179
Plant and Soil 247: vii, 2002. vii
© 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Preface
Plant Nutrition deals with the functions and dynamics of mineral elements in plants, soils and ecosystems with the
objective to enhance plant growth and crop yields, to improve plant quality and health, to optimise soil fertility, to
reduce the need for external production inputs, and to reduce environmental constraints due to mineral and organic
fertilisation. Plant nutrition is an applied science contributing not only in the long term but also in the short term to
the performance of plants/plant communities in agro-and natural ecosystems and their sustainability.
Plant Nutrition is a very diverse discipline stretching from Molecular Biology to field application. The Inter
national Plant Nutrition Colloquium is the international platform for Plant Nutrition gathering scientist from all
fields, in order to present and discuss the present state of knowledge and the substantial contribution that Plant
Nutrition has to make and can make to food production and sustainability not only of agro- but also of forest
and natural ecosystems. The world's population is expected to reach 8 billion by 2025 and most of this growth
in population will occur in developing countries. To feed the world with such a marked increase in population,
a great improvement in food production must be achieved particularly in these countries. To meet this challenge,
present agricultural productivity must be increased on the cultivated land. However, in many developing countries,
particularly in Africa, reduced soil fertility is a major threat both to food production and to ecosystem viability.
Food production is not only a quantitative challenge. Improving the nutrient status of plants provides a further
valuable means of enhancing food quality and is of extreme benefit to the health of both plants and humans. In
contrast to other parts of the world, in the industrialised countries in particular, and in East Asia, the excessive use
of fertilisers has led to the build-up of soil nutrient stocks resulting in increased nutrient fluxes into the environment.
The efficient use of fertilisers aimed at both optimising yield and minimising environmental pollution is, therefore,
a particularly important issue.
Meeting the challenge of sustainable plant nutrient management requires not only the application of current
knowledge but also the widening of knowledge through basic and applied research. Entering the 3rd millennium
there seems justification in our optimism in achieving this goal because of the availability and systematic use of
new methodological tools, such as molecular biological techniques, modelling, and ecosystem engineering. Such
techniques will be particularly helpful in the breeding of various plant genotypes of elevated capacity in the use of
soil and fertiliser nutrients, as well as those adapted to adverse soil conditions, and with increased micronutrient
density. The techniques should also allow the implementation of sustainable nutrient management for agro- and
forest-ecosystems.
The contributions in this book provide an excellent current state-of-the-art in the different areas of Plant
Nutrition research and its contribution to food security and agro-ecosystem sustainability while maintaining and
enhancing environmental quality.
Walter J. Horst
Hannover, 19 September 2002
PLENARY LECTURES
Opening Plenar Lecture:
I. Cakmak
Closing Plenar Lecture:
M. van Noordwijk
... Plant and Soil 247: 3-24, 2002, 3
., © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Plant nutrition research: Priorities to meet human needs for food in
sustainable ways
Ismail Cakmak
Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, 81474 Tuzla, 1stanbul, Turkey
Key words: food security, macronutrients, micronutrients, mineral fertilization, molecular biology, nutrient
efficiency, nutrient management
Abstract
The world population is expanding rapidly and will likely be 10 billion by the year 2050. Limited availability of
additional arable land and water resources, and the declining trend in crop yields globally make food security a
major challenge in the 21st century. According to the projections, food production on presently used land must be
doubled in the next two decades to meet food demand of the growing world population. To achieve the required
massive increase in food production, large enhancements in application of fertilizers and improvements of soil
fertility are indispensable approaches. Presently, in many developing countries, poor soil fertility, low levels of
available mineral nutrients in soil, improper nutrient management, along with the lack of plant genotypes having
high tolerance to nutrient deficiencies or toxicities are major constraints contributing to food insecurity, malnu
trition (i.e., micronutrient deficiencies) and ecosystem degradation. Plant nutrition research provides invaluable
information highly useful in elimination of these constraints, and thus, sustaining food security and well-being
of humans without harming the environment. The fact that at least 60% of cultivated soils have growth-limiting
problems with mineral-nutrient deficiencies and toxicities, and about 50% of the world population suffers from
micronutrient deficiencies make plant nutrition research a major promising area in meeting the global demand for
sufficient food production with enhanced nutritional value in this millennium. Integration of plant nutrition research
with plant genetics and molecular biology is indispensable in developing plant genotypes with high genetic ability
to adapt to nutrient deficient and toxic soil conditions and to allocate more micronutrients into edible plant products
such as cereal grains.
Introduction ticularly widespread in Asia; about 70% of the under
nourished people globally live in Asia, predominantly
The world's population is expected to grow from 6 in India and China. Sub-Saharan Africa with about
billion to around 10 billion by 2050. This is a me 200 million undernourished people is another crit
dian projection representing the addition of an extra ical region of the world suffering from malnutrition.
4 billion people onto the present population (Byrnes According to the FAO projections, the number of un
and Bumb, 1998). Virtually all of the anticipated dernourished people will decline to only 680 million
increase in world population will occur in Africa, by 2010, and this decrease will mainly take place
Latin America and Asia. Presently, these regions have in Asia, while in Sub-Saharan Africa food insecurity
already serious problems concerning food production, will likely continue with increasing numbers of people
access to food, water scarcity and nutritional dis affected (FAO, 1996, 1999; Rosegrant et aI., 2001).
orders/malnutrition. Pinstrup-Andersen et ai. (1999) Among the undernourished people children under
reported that more than 800 million people living in 5 years of age are particularly at risk. Globally, 30%
the developing countries are undernourished caused of children are underweight, and low birth weight be
by inadequate food availability. The problem is par- comes an important factor in child malnutrition and
premature death (Pinstrup-Andersen, 1999; UNDP,
* FAX No.: 90-216-4839550; E-mail: [email protected] 1999). Micronutrient deficiencies such as iron (Fe),
4
zinc (Zn) , iodine (I) and vitamin A deficiencies are t 3.0
01967-82
critical issues in the developing countries, and result
']Ci 2.5 .1982-94
in severe impairments of human health and develop >-
ment such as impairments of physical growth, immune 1.I!i.!i 2.0 .1995-2020
system, cognitive development and enhancements in 0
.5 1.5
anemia and maternal mortality (Pinstrup-Andersen, J:.
i
1999; Welch and Graham, 2000). Micronutrient de e 1.0
C!l
ficiencies are also widespread in well-developed in
1ii 0.5
dustrialized countries. More than 3 billion people :c:I
cCc
globally suffer from Fe and Zn deficiencies (Graham 0.0
et aI., 2001). Heavy and monotonous consumption Developing World Developed
countries countries
of cereal-based foods with low concentrations and re
Figure 1. Annual growth rates in cereal yields during 1967-82,
duced bioavailability of Fe and Zn has been considered 1982-94, and 1995-2020 (redrawn from Pinstrup-Andersen et al.,
a major reason for the widespread deficiencies of Zn 1999).
and Fe in developing countries (Graham et al., 2001;
Welch and Graham, 1999).
Table 1. Expected ratios of crop production and
To feed a world with huge increases in popula cultivated land in 2020 relative to those in 1990
tion and to sustain the well-being of humans, a large (from Evenson, 1999)
increase in food production must be achieved. The
Crop Production Land cultivated
expected increases in world population will result in
a serious pressure on the existing agricultural land Wheat 1.58 1.06
via urbanization and intensification of crop produc Maize 1.56 1.13
tion (Alexandratos, 1995). The global food projections Rice 1.66 1.07
model (The International Model for Policy Analysis of Other grains 1.48 1.09
Commodities, and Trade, IMPACT) developed by the Soybeans 1.77 1.14
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Roots/tubers 3.28 1.15
indicates that to meet the food demand of the world Mean 1.89 1.11
population in 2020, annual cereal production needs to
increase by 40%, from 1773 billion tonnes in 1993 to
nearly 2500 billion tonnes in 2020 (Rosegrant et al.,
1999, 2001). Of this increase in total cereal demand, ulation pressure on agriculture is already very high.
85% will come from the developing countries. Others For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa the annual growth
estimates that the total world cereal production must of total cereal production dropped from 1.9% in the
rise to 2.7 billion tons (Dyson, 1999) or to nearly 4 1970s to 0.66% in the 1990s. These decreases were
billion tones (Borlaug and Dowswell, 1993) by 2025 attributed to falling cereal prices, decreases in use of
to match food requirements of the world population. fertilizers, growing water shortages and impairments
The projected increase in food production must be in soil fertility and management practices (Gruhn et
accomplished on the existing cultivated areas because al., 2000; Pinstrup-Andersen et aI., 1999; Rosegrant et
the expansion of new land is limited due to environ aI., 2001). The decreasing trend in cereal production
mental concerns, urbanization and increasing water must be reversed; otherwise very serious food deficits
scarcity. Evenson (1999) reported that global plant will occur resulting in a significant threat to human
based food production will increase by more than 60% nutrition and health.
by 2020 while the area used for crop production will Soil productivity is decreasing globally due to
expand by only around 10% (Table 1). However, re enhanced soil degradation in the form of erosion, nu
cent trends indicate that the growth rate (based on ton trient depletion, water scarcity, acidity, salinisation,
ha -1) in crop production has begun to decline in the depletion of organic matter and poor drainage. Nearly
last 10 years, and possibly, cannot keep pace with the 40% of the agricultural land has been affected by soil
projected increase in global food demand in the fol degradation, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and
lowing decades (Fig. 1; Mifflin, 2000; Rosegrantet al., Central America (Table 2; Scherr, 1999). Enhanced
2001). This situation is especially dramatic in many soil degradation along with slowdown in cereal pro
developing countries in Africa and Asia where pop- duction contributes to food insecurity in developing
5
Table 2. Global estimates of soil degradation in agri 80 1200
cultural land (from Scherr, 1999)
-0-Fertilizer Use
"iii"
Region Agricultural land "ciii " -+-Cereal Production gc
g 60 950 c
Total Degraded Percent c ~
~ I
(million hectares) I c
Africa 187 121 65 3: 40 700 :0g
:::l :::I
Asia 536 206 38 ~ "!0!
South America 142 64 45 1.....: 20 450 aII.;.
Central America 38 28 74 I!!
~
North America 236 63 26
Europe 287 72 25 o +-----,.----r--.--~----r-__r-~-,......... 200
Oceania 49 8 16 1~ 1~ 1~ 1m 1~ 1~ 1~ 1~ 1~
Years
World 1475 562 38 Figure 2. Growth in fertilizer use and cereal production in develop
ing countries during 1961-1995 (redrawn from FAO, 1996).
increase in rice production since 1966 (from 240 to
countries. To improve food security for developing 483 million tons), while the area used for rice produc
countries, investments (including education, clean wa tion increased by only 13%, and fertilizer consumption
ter, irrigation, rural roads and agricultural research) per hectare of land has increased from 20 to 145 kg
are projected to cost 579 billion US dollars between (Hossain and Singh, 2000). According to Hossain and
1997 to 2020. Among the investments agricultural Singh (2000), this increase in fertilizer consumption is
research activities will account for 120 billion US dol not enough to sustain food security in the Asian coun
lars (Rosegrant et al., 2001). According to Rosegrant tries, and should be increased to over 250 kg ha-1 of
et al. (2001), the projected investments for improving NPK.
food security between 1997 and 2020 are feasible and Nearly all increases in projected food requirements
represent less than 5 % of the government expenditures in the next decades will the result of enhancements
in the developing world over the next 20 years. in yield per unit area and intensive use of agricul
tural land. To increase yield capacity of crop plants
and to ensure global food demand in 2020, fertilizer
Fertilizer roles in meeting global food demand use should increase from 144 million tons in 1990 to
208 million tons in 2020 (Bumb and Baanante, 1996;
To meet the challenge of 'food security', agricultural FAO, 2000). Possibly, this projected increase in fer
production must increase on the existing land, and tilizer consumption by 2020 will not be adequate to
therefore crop production must be intensified per unit meet both food production requirements and nutrient
of agricultural land. Mineral nutrients are the ma depletion from soil resulting from nutrient removal by
jor contributor to enhancing crop production, and in harvesting crops. Byrnes and Bumb (1998) estimated
maintaining soil productivity and preventing soil de that fertilizer consumption should increase up to 300
gradation. Generally, improving the nutritional status million tons to match required demands of food pro
of plants by applying fertilizers and maintaining soil duction and nutrient removal from soils by 2020. In
fertility has been the critical step in the doubling of view of this estimate, in future, developing countries
food production both in developed and developing should develop new policies and take new measures to
countries since the beginning of 'Green Revolution' provide more support to farmers regarding the supply
(Loneragan, 1997). As presented in Figure 2, increases of fertilizers.
in cereal production in the past 40 years were well
associated with corresponding increases in fertilizer
consumption in developing countries (FAO, 2000). Environmental concerns
According to Tillman (1999) the doubling of food pro
duction during the past 40 years has been associated Enhanced use of fertilizers raises concerns due to
with about 6.9-fold increase in N fertilization, 3.5-fold adverse effects on the environment in terms of eu
increase in P fertilization and only 1.1-fold increase trophication of surface waters, pollution of drinking
in cultivated land area. In Asia, there was a 2-fold water and gaseous emission causing global warming.