Effect of percolation rate on nutrient kinetics and rice yield in tropical rice soils

A model is presented with which the contribution of longitudinal oxygen diffusion to total oxygen requirement of a root can be estimated. Oxygen transport in and respiration of the soil are taken into account. Given the air-filled root porosity, root diameter, coefficient of oxygen transfer between root and soil, root and soil respiration rate, and the coefficient for oxygen diffusion in the soil, the maximum length a root can attain with an adequate oxygen supply to the root tip can be calculated. Results show the importance of root porosity for root aeration, also in unsaturated soils. For thick roots (radius >0.03 cm), diffusion along the internal pathway can provide 50–75% of the total oxygen requirement even, at modest values of the root porosity.