Environmental effects on dry matter partitioning between shoot and root of crop plants: relations with growth and shoot protein concentration |
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Authors: | M ANDREWS J A RAVEN J I SPRENT |
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Institution: | Ecology Centre, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK;Division of Environmental and Applied Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK |
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Abstract: | The literature on environmental effects on dry matter partitioning in higher plants, in particular crop plants, is reviewed focussing on changes in shoot to root dry weight ratio (S:R). Of particular consistency is the finding that S:R increases with increased nitrogen (N) supply. Relations between nitrogen (N) supply, growth, S:R and tissue N and protein concentration are examined. In some cases, the increase in S:R with increased N supply is likely to have been at least in part an effect on growth and development, but there is unequivocal evidence that N affects S:R independently of growth and development. A positive correlation between S:R and leaf protein concentration is highlighted. It is argued that the N effect on S:R outside the effect on growth and development is related to increased shoot protein concentration. Specifically, shoot and root growth are colimited by local carbon (C) and N (primarily protein) substrate concentrations and shoot growth will increase relative to root growth with increased N substrate availability due to the proximity of the shoot to the C source. It is further argued that results in the literature are consistent with the proposal that macronutrient, water, irradiance, CO2 and temperature effects on S:R are often primarily mediated through their effects on growth and development, and shoot protein concentration and hence shoot growth. |
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Keywords: | Dry matter partitioning crop plants nitrogen protein macronutrients water irradiance carbon dioxide temperature |
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