Root growth and calcium uptake in relation to calcium concentration

Summary The purpose of the present work has been to investigate the influence of calcium supply on root growth in barley. The plants were grown in pots, in which the upper part was a sand-perlite mixture and the lower part a test solution with varying calcium concentration (10⁻⁶–10⁻² M CaCl₂). The two parts were separated by a peat layer impeding a calcium transport from the upper to the lower part. The growth of the roots in the test media was examined daily by counting the total number of roots and the number of roots with laterals. The development of the number of roots had an exponential course at all calcium concentrations and was enhanced by increased calcium concentration. At harvest it was found that the size of the roots (length and dry weight) decreased with decreasing calcium concentration to a certain extent.