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Fine root (diameter < 2 mm) distribution influences the potential for resource acquisition in soil profiles, which defines how plants interact with local soil environments; however, a deep understanding of how fine root vertical distribution varies with soil structural variations and across growth years is lacking. We subjected four xerophytic species native to an arid valley of China, Artemisia vestita, Bauhinia brachycarpa, Sophora davidii, and Cotinus szechuanensis, to increasing rock fragment content (RFC) treatments (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%, v v−1) in an arid environment and measured fine root vertical profiles over 4 years of growth. Fine root depth and biomass of woody species increased with increasing RFC, but the extent of increase declined with growth years. Increasing RFC also increased the degree of interannual decreases in fine root diameter. The limited supply of soil resources in coarse soils explained the increases in rooting depth and variations in the pattern of fine root profiles across RFC. Fine root depth and biomass of the non‐woody species (A. vestita) in soil profiles decreased with the increase in RFC and growth years, showing an opposite pattern from the other three woody species. Within woody species, the annual increase in fine root biomass varied with RFC, which led to large interannual differences in the patterns of fine root profiles. Younger or non‐woody plants were more susceptible to soil environmental changes than the older or woody plants. These results reveal the limitations of dry and rocky environments on the growth of different plants, with woody and non‐woody plants adjusting their root vertical distribution through opposite pathways to cope with resource constraints, which has management implications for degraded agroforest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fine root (diameter

Aims: Shrub expansion is common in the tundra biome and has been linked to climate warming. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal and vertical rooting patterns of different plant functional types, which is important for predicting tundra vegetation dynamics. Methods: We harvested root samples by soil coring and investigated seasonal changes in root biomass and vertical root distribution across a vegetation gradient, focusing on the differences between graminoids and dwarf shrubs, at a northeastern Siberian tundra. Results: Graminoid fine root biomass increased significantly during the growing season, whereas that of shrubs was already high at the beginning and did not change later on. Shrubs had a much shallower rooting pattern than graminoids. Also, shrub roots did not respond to increases in permafrost thawing depth over the growing season, whereas graminoids grew fine roots in deeper, recently thawed soil layers during the growing season. Conclusions: Our results show that shrubs are predominantly shallow-rooted and grow roots earlier than graminoids, which allows shrubs to take advantage of the nutrient pulse after snowmelt in the early growing season. In contrast, the deep-rooted graminoids can access the nutrients in deeper soil and may profit from increasing permafrost thawing depth. The outcome of the competitive interactions between graminoids and shrubs in tundra may depend on the balance between the benefits associated with earlier root growth and deeper root distribution, respectively. The shrub expansion with climate warming observed in recent decades suggests that earlier root growth in the upper soil layer may be more important than increased rooting depth later in the growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of intercropping pearl millet with cowpea is widespread among subsistence farmers in northern Namibia. In this region, the scarce and erratic rainfall may enhance competition for the limited soil water between intercropped plants. Trials were conducted on a field of the University of Namibia (on-station) and on a farmer’s field (off-station) to determine the effects of competition between pearl millet and cowpea on the water sources and plant growth of each crop. The deuterium analysis showed that pearl millet, intercropped with cowpea, significantly increased its dependence on the recently supplied labeled irrigation water. Intercropped cowpea also showed an increased trend of the dependence but it was not statistically significant. At the university field, intercropped pearl millet showed higher dependence on the irrigation water than monocropped pearl millet. At the farmer’s field, the dependence of intercropped pearl millet on the irrigation water was low in the pearl millet-dominant zone. In contrast, the dependence on the irrigation water was high in the cowpea-dominant zone, indicating that the dependence on the irrigation water changes according to the size of the pearl millet canopy. The water sources of cowpea did not show a significant difference at either pearl millet-dominant or cowpea-dominant zone, indicating a stable water uptake trend under competitive conditions. Competition with cowpea significantly increased the root-weight density of intercropped pearl millet in the deep soil layers, but decreased that in the shallow layers. The root-weight density of intercropped cowpea, however, was reduced in most of the soil layers. In conclusion, cowpea has a higher ability to acquire existing soil water, forcing pearl millet to develop deep roots and shift to the surface irrigation water.

Cover crops are plants that are integrated in the crop rotation between two cash crops. The main objectives of cover cropping are organic matter input, mitigation of nitrate leaching and reduction of soil erosion. These benefits will only be achieved efficiently if the selected cover crop species are adapted to local environmental conditions and appropriate for the defined agro-ecological target. Therefore, a main limitation in cover cropping is the lack of a comprehensive species description. An improved cover crop characterization could be achieved with quantitative parameters derived from growth functions. Here, we show the use of this approach to assess plant traits relevant for erosion control by cover cropping. An experiment with four cover crop species (phacelia, vetch, rye and mustard) was performed over two years at a semi-arid site in Eastern Austria. Canopy cover was measured four times over the vegetation period. Root length density measurements were made to 40 cm soil depth before winter. Canopy dynamics were characterized by parameters from the asymptotic Gompertz function and from an extended logistic model that includes a parameter for decay after maximum coverage. Our results show that vetch had the lowest early vigor after dry conditions at sowing, with +45% longer time to attain maximum growth rate (parameter t) than the other species. Drought during the later autumn growing period led to the highest reduction in maximum canopy cover (parameter y) for phacelia (−41%). The rooting pattern was assessed by parameters from the exponential distribution function of Gerwitz and Page. The most intense rooting near the soil surface (parameter L) was found for phacelia (9.7 cm cm). Vetch had the lowest L (4.6 cm cm) but highest root allocation to deeper soil layers. Mustard combined high average values in y (76%) and L (6.3 cm cm) with a stable growth over both years. The potential strengths of phacelia and vetch were more dependent on the particular year. Rye showed a stably high L (8.6 cm cm), but had only a low average value of ymax (55.1%). The quantitative parameter sets we derived for plant traits required for erosion control improved cover crop comparison and analysis of their local adaptation. Based on this extended species description our approach allows a better evaluation of cover crops and can be used for the optimization of management and decision support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rooting characteristics of tea (Camellia sinensis) and silver oak (Grevillea robusta) were evaluated in a mixed plantation of these species in the Western Ghats in Munnar, Kerala employing three techniques viz., root excavation, measurement of starch concentration, and root cation exchange capacity (CEC) determination. Root systems of three representative trees of G. robusta and three tea bushes were exposed by systematically removing the soil both in the vertical and horizontal planes. While a majority of tea feeder roots (47%) were found in the surface (0 to 22.5 cm) and sub-surface (22.5 to 45.0 cm) layers of the soil, G. robusta had only a relatively smaller proportion (33%) of their fine roots in these layers. The feeder roots of G. robusta (67%) were mostly found in the soil layers below 45 cm implying complementarity in resource use by tea and G. robusta. G. robusta roots also penetrated deeper into the soil profile (2.4 m) compared to that of tea bushes, which were confined within a limit of 1.5 m. Starch concentrations of coarse roots (> 2 mm diameter) of G. robusta and tea, analyzed at monthly intervals as a measure of nutrient demand, suggest that G. robusta had lower starch levels than tea roots and an inverse relationship existed between the two species. G. robusta trees, however, had higher root CEC than tea plants, which again signifies that interspecific competition for plant nutrients like N and K in such systems, may not be substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of Al-tolerant and P-efficient maize cultivars is an important component of a successful production system on tropical acid soils with limited lime and P inputs. Grain yield and secondary plant traits, including root and aboveground biomass, nutrient content and leaf development, were evaluated from 1996 to 2002 in field experiments on an Oxisol in order to identify maize characteristics useful in genetic improvement. Here we present the results of the 2002 trial and compare them with previous results. The aim of this experiment was to assess the effect of assimilate and nutrient partitioning on the growth and grain yield of two tropical cultivars having different Al tolerance (CMS36, tolerant, Spectral, moderately tolerant). The soil had an Al saturation of 36% in topsoil (pH 4.5) and >45% below 0.3m depth (pH 4.2). Measurements made from emergence to grain filling included: root, stem and leaf biomass, P and N content, leaf area index (LAI), radiation use efficiency (RUE), soil available N and root profiles at anthesis. The experiments consisted of two P treatments, zero applied or 45kgPha−1 (−P and +P). All the treatments received N and K fertilizers. In −P, root biomass and LAI at anthesis were twice as great in CMS36 as in Spectral. In +P the differences between cultivars were negligible. Roots were deeper in CMS36 due to its higher Al tolerance. Total biomass and grain yield were not strongly related to root biomass and LAI. Other factors such as the leaf biomass and the amount of nutrients per unit leaf area were highly correlated with RUE and biomass. In −P, Spectral had the same total biomass but a higher grain yield than CMS36 (2.1Mgha−1 versus 1.5Mgha−1). This was due to a higher leaf P content (+40%), a greater RUE (+74%), and a lower number of sterile plants. In +P, CMS36 had higher total biomass and grain yield (4.1Mgha−1 versus 3.1Mgha−1). This was due to its higher leaf P (+25%) and leaf N (+43%) contents, and an increased RUE (+130%) that were associated with higher P and N uptake. Our results indicated that although root tolerance to Al toxicity is necessary for good crop performance on acid soils, assimilate and nutrient partitioning in the aboveground organs play a major role in plant adaptation and may partially compensate for a lower root tolerance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Above-ground plant growth is widely known in terms of structural diversity. Likewise, the below-ground growth presents a mosaic of heterogeneous structures of differing complexity. In this study, root system structures of heterogeneous plant communities were recorded as integral systems by using the trench profile method. Fractal dimensions of the root images were calculated from image files by the box-counting method. This method allows the structural complexity of such associations to be compared between plant communities, with regard to their potentials for soil resource acquisition and utilization. Distinct and partly significant differences are found (fractal dimension between 1.46?±?0.09 and 1.71?±?0.05) in the below-ground structural complexity of plant communities, belonging to different biotope types. The size of the heterogeneous plant community to be examined has an crucial influence on the fractal dimension of the root system structures. The structural heterogeneity becomes particularly evident (fractal dimensions between 1.32 and 1.77) when analysing many small units of a complex root system association. In larger plant communities, a broad variety of below-ground structures is recorded in its entirety, integrating the specific features of single sub-structures. In that way, extreme fractal dimensions are lost and the diversity decreases. Therefore, the analysis of larger units of root system associations provides a general knowledge of the complexity of root system structures for heterogeneous plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested a hypothesis that variable precipitation may induce altered rooting patterns. A nursery study was conducted over 2 years to evaluate the effect of seasonally variable soil moisture on the rooting pattern of shallow-rooted shrub broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae Britt and Rusby). Plants irrigated during the spring–summer, but grown under rainout shelters in the winter (S) produced more roots in the upper 30 cm of soil than plants receiving natural precipitation (N), or plants irrigated in the winter, but grown under rainout shelters in the spring–summer (W). Plants irrigated in the winter, but grown under the rainout shelter in the spring–summer had 45–47% more roots (p<0·05) extended below the 30 cm soil layers in the early spring than the other treatments. These well-developed deeper roots provided 75% of plant evapo-transpirational water use for the winter irrigation treatment. This altered root distribution also enabled the plants to produce above-ground biomass similar to that of plants receiving natural precipitation. Our data suggest that the root deployment pattern of snakeweed can be altered by variations in seasonal precipitation, which may help explain the competitive relationship between snakeweed and the shallow-rooted native grasses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three rice varieties, viz. ADT 31 (drought tolerant) CO 41 (upland) and IR 50 (drought susceptible), were employed to study their rooting patterns under different water regimes. ADT 31 had better root penetration and distribution under water stress situation compared to others. The values on root weight also established a similar trend. Isotopic studies with 32P also provided evidence in this regard wherein the variety ADT 31 showed its adaptiveness to drought. Marginal reduction in plant height, less tiller production and leaf area reductions were noted in ADT 31 and CO 41 under decreasing soil moisture which showed its ability to cope with the water stress situation. Though IR 50 recorded higher grain yield at normal irrigation, a drastic reduction was noted under extreme water deficit. But ADT 31 recorded consistent values in all situations with slight marginal reduction which evidently proved the interdependent nature of rooting pattern and its influence on productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a 2-year experiment, the evergreen shrubs Erica tetralix and Calluna vulgaris (dominant on nutrient-poor heathland soils) and the perennial deciduous grass Molinia caerulea (dominant on nutrient-rich heathland soils) were grown in replacement series in a factorial combination of four competition types (no competition, only aboveground competition, only belowground competition, full competition) and two levels of nutrient supply (no nutrients and 10 g N+2 g P+10 g K m yr). Both in the unfertilized and in the fertilized treatments Molinia allocated about twice as much biomass to its root system than did Erica and Calluna. In all three species the relative amount of biomass allocated to the roots was lower at high than at low nutrient supply. The relative decrease was larger for Molinia than for Erica and Calluna. In the fertilized monocultures biomass of all three species exceeded that in the unfertilized series. Molinia showed the greatest biomass increase. In the unfertilized series no effects of interspecific competition on the biomass of each species were observed in either of the competition treatments. In the fertilized mixtures where only belowground competition was possible Molinia increased its biomass at the expense of both Erica and Calluna. When only aboveground competition was possible no effects of interspecific competition on the biomass of the competing species were observed. However, in contrast with the evergreens, Molinia responded by positioning its leaf layers relatively higher in the canopy. The effects of full competition were similar to those of only belowground competition, so in the fertilized series belowground competition determined the outcome of competition. The high competitive ability of Molinia at high nutrient supply can be attributed to the combination of (1) a high potential productivity, (2) a high percentage biomass allocation to the roots, (3) an extensive root system exploiting a large soil volume, and (4) plasticity in the spatial arrangement of leaf layers over its tall canopy. In the species under study the allocation patterns entailed no apparent trade-off between the abilities to compete for above- and belowground resources. This study suggests that this trade-off can be overcome by: (1) plasticity in the spatial arrangement of leaf layers and roots, and (2) compensatory phenotypic and species-specific differences in specific leaf area and specific root length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]