Root growth and plant biomass in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lolium perenne</Emphasis> exploring a nutrient-rich patch in soil |
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Authors: | Ryoji Nakamura Naoki Kachi Jun-Ichirou Suzuki |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan |
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Abstract: | We investigated soil exploration by roots and plant growth in a heterogeneous environment to determine whether roots can selectively
explore a nutrient-rich patch, and how nutrient heterogeneity affects biomass allocation and total biomass before a patch
is reached. Lolium perenne L. plants were grown in a factorial experiment with combinations of fertilization (heterogeneous and homogeneous) and day
of harvest (14, 28, 42, or 56 days after transplanting). The plant in the heterogeneous treatment was smaller in its mean
total biomass, and allocated more biomass to roots. The distributions of root length and root biomass in the heterogeneous
treatment did not favor the nutrient-rich patch, and did not correspond to the patchy distribution of inorganic nitrogen.
Specific root length (length/biomass) was higher and root elongation was more extensive both laterally and vertically in the
heterogeneous treatment. These characteristics may enable plants to acquire nutrients efficiently and increase the probability
of encountering nutrient-rich patches in a heterogeneous soil. However, heterogeneity of soil nutrients would hold back plant
growth before a patch was reached. Therefore, although no significant selective root placement in the nutrient-rich patch
was observed, plant growth before reaching nutrient-rich patches differed between heterogeneous and homogeneous environments. |
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Keywords: | Morphological plasticity Nitrogen distribution Nutrient heterogeneity Plant growth Root proliferation |
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