Fig. 2: Responses of three studied species to nutrient-deficit stress.

a Representative images of above and below ground organs of maize, sorghum, and paspalum ramets at 21 days after panting (dap) under optimal (Full), nitrogen-deficit (-N), or phosphorus-deficit conditions (-P). b Fresh biomass accumulated in the first 21 days after planting for maize and sorghum seedings and paspalum ramets under control, -N or -P conditions (Data shown are from three independent replicates each with ≥5 samples; N = 15 individually measured plants). c Changes in root length relative to Full at 21 dap under -N or -P conditions in maize, sorghum, and paspalum (N = 15 individually measured plants, repeated in triplicates). d, e Abundance (d) and reduction (e) of N as a proportion of total dry biomass in the shoots of maize, sorghum seedlings, and paspalum ramets at 21 dap. Error bars in panel e indicate standard deviation across biological replicates. N = 3 biological replicates, each consisting of a measurement of N abundance from the pooled tissue of five plants per condition. f, g Abundance (f) and reduction (g) of P as a proportion of total dry biomass in the shoots of maize, sorghum seedlings, and paspalum ramets at 21 dap. Error bars in panel g indicate standard deviation across biological replicates. N = 3 biological replicates, each consisting of measurements of P abundance from the pooled tissue of five or more plants per condition. For b, c, d and f, p values are determined by two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test. (Zm = maize, Sb = sorghum and Pv = paspalum). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.