Dynamics of Root Growth and Distribution in Maize from the Black Soil Region of NE China

Abstract

Root growth is related to its water and mineral uptake. The structure and architecture of the root system is influenced by soil properties. Better understanding of root architecture and growth dynamics of maize grown on black soil may lead to more efficient use of applied nutrients and water by maize. Maize (Zea mays L.), cultivar Yedan 13, was grown in a black soil field in large root boxes in 2007. Plants were regularly sampled and the following data were recorded: number of emerged roots per phytomer, mean length and maximal length of axile root per phytomer, maximum rooting depth of axile root per phytomer, and angle of axile root per phytomer by excavation methods. The distribution dynamics of root dry weight at different black soil depths, and vertical and horizontal distribution in large root boxes were measured. There were more axile roots on the upper phytomers than on lower phytomers. The number of roots on phytomers P8, P9 and P10 were 15.71%，24.82%, and 25.86% of total number of per plant, respectively. Angles of the axile roots on lower phytomers were larger than those on upper phytomers. The angle of the axile root on P2 was the largest (81.51°), followed by P4 (69.33°), P3 (56.9°), and P5 (56.06°). The angles on phytomers from P6 to P10 were smaller, ranging from 30.13-40.72°. Mean length, maximal length, and maximum rooting depth of axile root on each phytomer all increased with day after seeding (DAS). Mean length, maximal length, and maximum rooting depth of axile roots on lower phytomers were larger www.ccsenet.org/jas Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 4, No. 2; 2012 ISSN 1916-9752 E-ISSN 1916 22 than those on upper phytomers. Mean length, maximal length and maximum rooting depth of axile roots on P3 were the largest (2.37 m, 2.92 m and 2.12 m at 90 DAS, respectively). Root dry weight in each soil layer increased with DAS; there was a rapid increase from 50 to 90 DAS. About 80 % of root dry weight was in the soil above 40 cm. The general trend of percentage of dry weight in total dry weight per plant decreased as the distance from the plant increased. Over 78 % of root dry weight in total dry weight per plant was within 20 cm in the horizontal direction from the plant, and less than 6% was in the 40 cm to 60 cm zone in the horizontal direction from the plant.

Genotypic variation and nitrogen stress effects on root anatomy in maize are node specific

“…The slower development of large diameter roots could also reduce inter-plant competition in monoculture. Roots in the third and younger nodes have steeper angles and greater rooting depth, depending on genotype and soil conditions (Yamazaki and Kaeriyama, 1982; Hoppe et al , 1986; Araki et al , 2000; Liu et al , 2012b; York and Lynch, 2015), supporting the potential importance of larger diameter roots in penetrating deep soil for mobile resources. The functional utility and trade-offs of these root anatomical phenes under different environmental conditions require further study.…”

“…Gaudin et al , 2011; Gao et al , 2015). A few root anatomical and architectural phenotypes in maize have been evaluated in multiple nodes in the field, typically in one or two genotypes (Yamazaki and Kaeriyama, 1982; Hoppe et al , 1986; Girardin et al , 1987; Demotes-Mainard and Pellerin, 1992; Jordan et al , 1993; Aguirrezabal et al , 1994; Pellerin, 1994; Liu et al , 2012b). Stamp and Kiel (1992) characterized 28 hybrid genotypes and evaluated six nodes with a focus on metaxylem vessel phenes, and Mano et al (2006) evaluated aerenchyma formation across root nodes and positions in multiple Zea species.…”

Application of paclobutrazol affect maize grain yield by regulating root morphological and physiological characteristics under a semi-arid region

“…Root diameter has been shown to have a significant influence on the ability of roots to penetrate into the soil 11 , extract water and nutrient in deep soil layers and translocate to aerial parts of the plant. A research study demonstrated that root length density, root weight density, root volume density, and the root diameter of crops are positively related to soil water availability 46 . In the present study, the root diameter of maize crop increased gradually from V7 to V9 stage, rapidly from V12 to R1 and decreased after that to the R6 stage, and was significantly higher in paclobutrazol treatments than untreated control, at all growth stages in 2015 and 2016.…”

Black Film Mulching and Plant Density Influencing Soil Water Temperature Conditions and Maize Root Growth

“…Because many previous studies have shown that ∼80% of maize roots are concentrated in soil layers between 0 and 40 cm (Liu et al, 2012; Bu et al, 2013; Gao et al, 2014; Zhou et al, 2015), only root samples from the 0‐ to 40‐cm soil layer were taken in this study. At the heading–filling and maturing growth stages, three maize plants with uniform growth were selected as the samples for measuring maize roots.…”