Leaf surface features of maize cultivars and response to foliar phosphorus application: effect of leaf stage and plant phosphorus status.

Soil phosphorus (P) application is the most common fertilisation technique but may involve constraints due to chemical fixation and microbial immobilisation. Furthermore, excessive P fertilisation leads to P runoff into water bodies, threatening ecosystems, so targeted foliar P fertilisation is an interesting alternative. This study aimed to determine the importance of leaf surface characteristics for foliar P uptake in P-deficient maize (Zea mays L.