Selections for long and short root length were made on 10‐day‐old oat, Avena sativa L., seedlings from two F2 populations grown in distilled water or in a modified half‐strength Hoagland's solution. F2 derived F3 and F4 progeny were grown in the field in a nonstress environment with a shallow ( 10 to 30 cm) loamy sand or sandy loam A horizon and in a stress environment with a deep (75 to 90 cm) loamy sand A horizon. Seedling root measurements were made on F4 and F5 plants. Root length differences were observed two and three generations after selection following growth in a modified half‐strength Hoagland's solution but differences between long and short root length selections were not consistently maintained for the selections made after growth in distilled water. Trends toward greater grain yield, seed number, and plant height were observed for the long root length selection, especially in the nonstress environment. The technique was not successful in identifying plants with superior performance in a deep sandy soil.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.