Responses of legumes to temperature and low phosphorus

Suriyagoda et al. investigate root and shoot responses of three perennial legumes (Cullen cinereum, Kennedia nigricans and Lotus australis) to a range of temperatures at limited phosphorus supply and find that faster growth rates at optimal temperatures reflect higher photosynthetic rates and root adaptations. The species with the slowest relative growth rate, C. cinereum, has only morphological root adaptations, while the others also have physiological adaptations, in the form of changes in rhizosphere carboxylate dynamics.