Phosphate acquisition heterosis in Arabidopsis thaliana: a morphological and physiological analysis

Although phosphate acquisition efficiency (PAE) is of considerable agricult ural importance, little is known about its inheritance. The objective of th is study was to determine the inheritance of PAE-related morphological and physiological traits in Arabidopsis thaliana. C24 and Col-O, two Arabidopsi s accessions differing in their abilities to acquire phosphate from hydroxy l phosphate, were crossed. The resulting hybrid showed superior acquisition of phosphate from hydroxylapatite when compared with either parent. The da ta suggest that the superiority of the F1 hybrid is due to the accumulation of favourable dominant genes at numerous loci. The hybrid inherited the lo ng root hair length trait from C24 and the long root length trait of Col-O. In addition, the hybrid inherited enhanced phosphate transporter expressio n from C24. The analysis of morphological and physiological traits in this hybrid will be useful for evaluating and predicting PAE performance in othe r plant species.