article · BMC Plant Biology
Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for chickpea development, but efficiency in its use depends heavily on plant variety and the specific fertiliser supplied. An evaluation of three Moroccan winter chickpea varieties, Arifi, Bochra, and Taounate, examined their growth, phosphorus use efficiency, and root-associated soil microbes across different application rates of soluble ortho-phosphorus and insoluble rock-phosphorus. High rates of ortho-phosphorus enhanced shoot growth, branch numbers, and height, whereas high rates of rock-phosphorus produced the greatest pod dry weight and harvest index improvements. The Taounate variety achieved the strongest pod yields and phosphorus use efficiency through enhanced root traits, while the Bochra variety made effective use of rock-phosphorus despite developing smaller root systems. Additionally, the type of fertiliser and plant variety distinctly altered the composition of root microbial communities, demonstrating that soil microbiology changes alongside specific plant and nutrient combinations.
Phosphorus fertilisers can be costly and vary widely in solubility. Understanding which crop varieties can effectively utilise cheaper, insoluble sources like rock-phosphorus helps improve crop yields and soil management. This research shows that selecting the correct chickpea genotype allows farmers to match specific fertiliser inputs with plant biology and beneficial soil microbes, reducing wastage and supporting sustainable legume production.
This early-stage research could inform breeding programmes and precision agronomy strategies focused on matching chickpea varieties with appropriate phosphorus inputs. Seed breeders and agricultural input providers could use these genotype-specific findings to recommend tailored fertiliser protocols or develop microbial inoculants. However, the findings remain at an exploratory stage, requiring field validation before commercial deployment into farming guidelines or inputs can occur.
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Phosphorus (P) is crucial for grain legumes including chickpea, however P use efficiency (PUE) for both chickpea symbiosis and plant growth strongly relies on chickpea genotypic variability and responsiveness to contrasting P conditions including source, availability and application rate. In this study, three winter Moroccan chickpea ( Cicer arientinum L.) varieties (Arifi, Bochra and Taounate) were assessed for plant growth, PUE and rhizosphere soil-associated microbiome composition under both available “ortho-P” and unavailable P sources (rock-P) at increasing rates (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg P 2 O 5 ha − 1 ). Chickpea growth traits related to shoot dry weight (SDW), leaf area index (LAI), branches number and plant height were significantly enhanced under ortho-P (120 kg ha − 1 ). The highest pod DW (PDW) (108%) and Harvest Index (HI) (55%) were obtained under rock-P (120 kg ha − 1 ) as compared to unfertilized treatment, which is the case of Taounate variety that exhibited the highest PDW (2.33 g plant − 1 ), pod number (9.5 per plant), LAI (321), high PUE and P harvest index (PHI) as a consequence of improved root traits (biomass, length and surface-area). Meanwhile, Bochra variety responded more favorably to rock-P (40, 80 and 120 kg ha − 1 ) showing a higher PUE concomitantly to a lower root traits. Furthermore, chickpea varieties and P sources influenced the rhizosphere-associated microbial community with a notable abundance of Actinobacteria under rock-P in Bochra variety and Chytridiomycota phylum in Taounate variety under ortho-P, while Bochra and Arifi varieties had more Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota under ortho-P. Findings revealed that ortho-P-fertilized Taounate and rock-P-fertilized Bochra exhibited high PUE and yielded superior agro-physiological performance concomitantly with specific rhizosphere microbial modifications. Such a genotype-P specific pattern indicates a differential responsiveness to P fertilization suggesting tight relationships between chickpea genotypic diversity, responsiveness to P and modulation of the rhizosphere microbiota that needs to be deciphered.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-09668-3
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