Phosphorus (P) is a finite, geographically restricted nutrient that cropping systems rely on for optimal food production. Conservative P use and enhanced cycling in agroecosystems is crucial to maintain long-term supply, and to reduce pollution to the greater ecosystem (i.e. water bodies). The majority of plant-available indigenous and applied P in agricultural systems becomes unavailable to plants due to biotic and abiotic factors. Breeding crops that incorporate traits with an enhanced ability to interact with the soil-root interface to access greater pools of P and use P more efficiently physiologically has been proposed as a solution to more efficient P cycling on farm. This is especially important in P limited organic arable production, such as practice on Canadian prairies.  

We propose an ‘organic ideotype for efficient P use’ that seeks to increase early season P uptake, in order to maximize grain yield potential, yet limits translocation of P from biomass into seed, thereby retaining P in the soil system for future use. We hypothesized that such an ideotype can be best developed by selecting under low soil P conditions on organic farms and to involve farmers in the early generation selection process. The present study evaluated F6-derived wheat genotypes from our organic participatory plant breeding program and progeny parents. Preliminary data suggests that some genotypes exhibit greater P use efficiency and lower seed P than one parent, suggesting that our ideotype may indeed be possible.