Factors that contribute to genetic variation for nutrient efficiency of crop plants

Abstract

Abstract Genetic variation in nutrient efficiency may be attributed to two multifactorial components: (i) genotypes may differ in the efficiency with which the nutrients in the plant are utilized to produce yield (utilization efficiency) and/or (ii) they may differ in their effectiveness in absorbing nutrients from the soil (uptake efficiency). This contribution surveys major aspects of physiological and morphological factors affecting N‐and P‐efficiency. The potential importance of the various factors is discussed and exemplified mainly by own experimental work.