Morphological, physiological and biochemical traits of Cordia trichotoma under phosphorous application and a water-retaining polymer

The application of phosphorus (P) and a water-retaining polymer to the soil can increase the availability of P for Cordia trichotoma, having a positive effect on the plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of C. trichotoma plants were cultivated in a red argisol and treated with 120, 240 and 360 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 and no phosphorous addition as a control, in the presence (5 g L −1 per seedling) and absence of a water-retaining polymer. Twenty-four months after planting, survival, height, stem diameter, shoot and root dry matter, leaf area, photosynthetic pigment concentration, chlorophyll a fluorescence, acid phosphatase enzyme activity (APase) and P in tissues and soil were determined. The polymer had no effect on survival and the other parameters. The addition of P increased growth, dry matter production, photosynthetic pigment concentrations, the use of light energy and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II. Plants cultivated in soil with 240 kg P 2 O 5 ha −1 application had 4.7 and 5.4 times more shoot and root dry matter, respectively, than control plants. This dosage also showed 52.1% greater photochemical energy use than the control plants. Plants cultivated without the addition of P showed higher activity of the APase enzyme.