Abstract
Throughout its life cycle, the development of the root system is finely tuned to the requirements of the whole plant. This is only possible because roots adapt to physical impedance, availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and water, and to thermal conditions. This paper concentrates on cereals during the early establishment of the plant.
Low temperature has indirect effects on roots by modifying nutrient and water availability in the root environment. It also has direct effects on root metabolism and architecture, that depend on severity and duration of the stress. Mild stress occurs regularly throughout the life of the plant. If these periods are extended, they change the assimilate distribution in favour of the root and reduce the specific root surface area. Such morphological changes are brought about mainly by thicker roots with larger cross-sectional areas of xylem vessels and a retarded development of secondary roots. In agricultural systems, severe chilling stress and related damage to roots occurs only occasionally and during early stages of vegetative growth.
Compared with sole ammonium or sole nitrate feeding, both wheat and maize often grow faster on mixtures of ammonium and nitrate. However, it is unwise to generalise about the relative merits of nitrogen forms, because the growth responses to mixed nitrogen diet may be strongly modified by environmental conditions. Split-root experiments in hydroponics demonstrated that maize and wheat can take advantage of combined ammonium and nitrogen nutrition only if the root system grows in homogeneous mixtures of both forms of nitrogen. Under a spatially separated supply of ammonium and nitrate, the dry matter allocation to ammonium-only and nitrate-only nourished parts of the root system mirrored the ammonium:nitrate uptake ratio. Factors that affected the ammonium:nitrate uptake ratio (rooting medium pH; choice of cultivar) also modified the distribution of dry matter within the root system. Morphological traits (length of main axes, number and length of laterals) of halves of maize root systems which received ammonium or nitrate responded differently to changes in pH of the nutrient solution.
These reactions of root development to low temperature and nitrogen form are discussed with a view to selection criteria and the optimisation of agricultural systems.
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Stamp, P., Feil, B., Schortemeyer, M., Richner, W. (1997). Responses of roots to low temperatures and nitrogen forms. In: Anderson, H.M., Barlow, P.W., Clarkson, D.T., Jackson, M.B., Shewry, P.R. (eds) Plant Roots - From Cells to Systems. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 73. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5696-7_15
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