Plant Soil Environ., 2009, 55(1):1-10 | DOI: 10.17221/380-PSE

Soil compaction modifies morphological characteristics of seminal maize roots

B. Konôpka1,2, L. Pagès3, C. Doussan4
1 Department of Forest Protection and Game Management, Forest Research Institute Zvolen, National Forest Centre, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
2 Department of Forest Protection and Game Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
3 Plants and Horticultural Systems Unit, INRA Research Centre of Avignon, Avignon, France
4 Mediterranean Environment and Modeling of Agro-Hydrosystems Unit, INRA Research Centre of Avignon, Avignon, France

An evaluation of the effects of soil structural heterogeneity on maize (Zea mays L.) root system architecture was carried out on plants grown in boxes containing fine soil and clods. The clods were prepared at two levels of moisture (0.17 and 0.20 g/g) and bulk density (ranges 1.45-1.61 g/ml and 1.63-1.79 g/ml). Soil moisture directly affected the probability of clod penetration by maize roots. Primary roots inside the clods manifested morphological deformations in the form of bends. We observed a significant increase of bends per root length at lower soil moisture (P = 0.02). Root diameter and branching density increased, and lateral root length decreased considerably inside the clods. However, once emerging out of the clods and into free soil, values of all three characteristics remained low. While changes in root diameter were caused mainly by clod moisture (P < 0.05), length of lateral roots was related to bulk density (P < 0.01). Branching density was modified exclusively by an interactive effect of both factors (P < 0.05).

Keywords: clod; penetration resistance; root morphology; water content; Zea mays

Published: January 31, 2009  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Konôpka B, Pagès L, Doussan C. Soil compaction modifies morphological characteristics of seminal maize roots. Plant Soil Environ. 2009;55(1):1-10. doi: 10.17221/380-PSE.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Amato M., Ritchie J.T. (2002): Spatial distribution and water uptake of maize (Zea mays L.) as affected by soil structure. Crop Sci., 42: 773-780. Go to original source...
    2. Atwell B.J. (1988): Physiological responses of lupin roots to soil compaction. Plant Soil, 111: 277-281. Go to original source...
    3. Barley K.P., Farrell D.A., Greacen E.L. (1965): The influence of soil strength on the penetration of a loam by plant roots. Aust. J. Soil Res., 3: 69-79. Go to original source...
    4. Bengough A.G. (2003): Root growth and function in relation to soil structure, composition and strength. In: de Kroon H., Visser E.J.W. (eds.): Root Ecology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin: 151-171. Go to original source...
    5. Bengough A.G., Mullins C.E. (1990): Mechanical impedance to root growth: A review of experimental technique and root growth responses. J. Soil Sci., 41: 341-358. Go to original source...
    6. Bengough A.G., Mullins C.E. (1991): Penetrometer resistance, root penetration resistance and root elongation rate in 2 sandy loam soils. Plant Soil, 131: 59-66. Go to original source...
    7. Bennie A.T. (1991): Growth and mechanical impedance. In: Waisel Y., Eshel A., Kafkali U. (eds.): Plant Roots - The Hidden Half. Marcel Dekker, New York: 393-414.
    8. Carter M.R. (1988): Penetration resistance to characterize the depth and persistence of soil loosening in tillage studies. Can. J. Soil Sci., 68: 657-668. Go to original source...
    9. Croser C., Bengough A.G., Pritchard J. (1999): The effect of mechanical impedance on root growth in pea (Pisum sativum). I. Rates of cell flux, mitosis, and strain during recovery. Physiol. Plant., 107: 277-286. Go to original source...
    10. Ehlers W., Köpke U., Hesse F., Böhm W. (1982): Penetration resistance and root growth of oats in tilled and untilled loess soil. Soil Till. Res., 3: 261-275. Go to original source...
    11. Goldsmith W., Silva M.M., Fischenich C. (2001): Determining optimum degree of soil compaction balancing mechanical stability and plant growth capacity. EMRRP-SR-26. Available at: www.wes.army.mil/el/ emrrp
    12. Goss M.J. (1977): Effects of mechanical impedance on root growth in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). I. Effects on the elongation and branching of seminal root axes. J. Exp. Bot., 28: 96-111. Go to original source...
    13. Hoad S.P., Russel G., Lucas M.E., Bingham I.J. (1992): The management of wheat, barley, and oat root systems. Adv. Agron., 74: 193-246. Go to original source...
    14. Ihaka R., Gentleman R. (1996): R: a language for data analysis and graphics. J. Comput. Graph. Stat., 5: 299-314. Go to original source...
    15. Iijima M., Barlow P.W., Bengough A.G. (2003): Root cap structure and cell production rates of maize (Zea mays) roots in compacted sand. New Phytol., 160: 127-134. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Konôpka B., Pagès L., Doussan C. (2008): Impact of soil compaction heterogeneity and moisture on maize (Zea mays L.) root and shoot development. Plant Soil Environ., 54: 509-519. Go to original source...
    17. Liang J., Zhang J., Wong M.H. (1996): Effects of airfilled soil porosity and aeration on the initiation and growth of secondary roots of maize (Zea mays). Plant Soil, 186: 245-254. Go to original source...
    18. Materechera S.A., Alston A.M., Kirby J.M., Dexter A.R. (1992): Influence of root diameter on the penetration of seminal roots into a compacted subsoil. Plant Soil, 144: 297-303. Go to original source...
    19. Misra R.K., Dexter A.R., Alston A.M. (1986): Maximum axial and radial growth pressures of plant roots. Plant Soil, 95: 315-326. Go to original source...
    20. Pfeffer W. (1893): Druck und Arbeitsleistung durch wachsende Pflanzen. Abh. K. Sachs. Ges. Wiss., 33: 235-474. Go to original source...
    21. Roger-Estrade J., Richard G., Boizard H., Boiffin J., Caneill J., Manichon H. (2000): Modelling structural changes in tilled topsoil over time as a function of cropping systems. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 51: 455-474. Go to original source...
    22. Stenitzer E., Murer E. (2003): Impact of soil compaction upon soil water balance and maize yield estimated by the SIMWASER model. Soil Till. Res., 73: 43-46. Go to original source...
    23. Unger P.W., Kaspar T.C. (1994): Soil compaction and root growth: a review. Agron. J., 86: 759-766. Go to original source...
    24. Wilson A.J., Robards A.W., Goss M.J. (1977): Effects of mechanical impedance on root growth in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). II. Effects on the development in seminal roots. J. Exp. Bot., 28: 1216-1227. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content