The Role of Roots in Control of Bean Shoot Growth*

Effect of Restricted Root Growth on Carbohydrate Metabolism and Whole Plant Growth of Cucumis sativus L.

“…3). These results agree with previous studies which indicated that restricting root development under otherwise favorable environmental conditions resulted in dwarf plants which had reduced leaf area and shoot dry weight (2,9). Availability of essential nutrients did not appear to be a limiting factor in the reduced root and shoot growth of cucumber plants.…”

“…Conversely, partial excision of vegetative bean plant roots decreased photosynthesis and net assimilate export (3). Bean plants grown under reduced root volume conditions exported less assimilate export and accumulated higher concentrations of leaf starch during the photoperiod (2).…”

“…The reduction in shoot growth cannot be assumed to result from water and/or nutrient stress. Restricting the volume in which bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (1,2) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (9) roots grew, under otherwise favorable environmental conditions, resulted in dwarf plants. Growth was reduced in terms of leaf area, stem size, and shoot dry weight.…”

Interactive effects of ozone and soil volume on Plantago major

“…The effects of growing plants in small pots has been extensively investigated for arable and horticultural crops (Carmi & Heuer, 1981;Carmi et al, 1983;Peterson et al, 1984;Dubik, Krized & Stimart, 1990). In many of these studies it is unclear whether reduced growth occurred as a result of deficiency of water or nutrients, or was due to changes in the production of plant growth regulators.…”

“…In order to determine which of these factors might be responsible, in several cases a physical restraint on root growth was applied, whilst w-ater and nutrient levels were maintained; in all these cases, growth was still reduced (Carmi et al, 1983;Peterson et al, 1984;Dubik et al, 1990), implying that reduction is not due solely due to deficiency of water or nutrients. Although changes in root architecture and morphology can lead to a reduced uptake of water and nutrients (Hameed et al, 1987), Carmi & Heuer (1981) argue that the decrease in growth of restricted plants may be attributable to changes in production of growth regulators. In agreement, Marschner (1995) suggests that root-derived signals are responsible for lower growth of restricted plants, with nutritional and water relations playing a secondary role.…”