Abstract
Competition between crops and weeds may be stronger at the root than at the shoot level, but belowground competition remains poorly understood, due to the lack of suitable methods for root discrimination. Using a transgenic maize line expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), we nondestructively discriminated maize roots from weed roots. Interactions between GFP-expressing maize, common lambsquarters, and redroot pigweed were studied in two different experiments with plants arranged in rows at a higher plant density (using boxes with a surface area of 0.09 m 2 ) and in single-plant arrangements (using boxes with a surface area of 0.48 m 2 ). Root density was screened using minirhizotrons. Relative to maize that was grown alone, maize root density was reduced from 41 to 87% when it was grown with redroot pigweed and from 27 to 73% when it was grown with common lambsquarters compared to maize grown alone. The calculated root : shoot ratios as well as the results of shoot dry weight and root density showed that both weed species restricted root growth more than they restricted shoot growth of maize. The effect of maize on the root density of the weeds ranged from a reduction of 25% to an increase of 23% for common lambsquarters and a reduction of 42 to 6% for redroot pigweed. This study constitutes the first direct quantification of root growth and distribution of maize growing together with weeds. Here we demonstrate that the innovative use of transgenic GFP-expressing maize combined with the minirhizotron technique offers new insights on the nature of the response of major crops to belowground competition with weeds.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
GFP expression permitted nondestructive discrimination of maize and weed roots.
- Material
- transgenic maize linee0
- Outcome
- discriminated maize roots from weed rootse0
- Comparator
- weed rootse0
Zea maysNot reportedValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using a transgenic maize line expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), we nondestructively discriminated maize roots from weed roots”
Claim · model-written summary
Redroot pigweed reduced maize root density by 41 to 87% relative to maize alone.
- Value
- 41 to 87%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maize root density was reduced from 41 to 87% when it was grown with redroot pigweed”
t0“Relative to maize that was grown alone”
Claim · model-written summary
Common lambsquarters reduced maize root density by 27 to 73% relative to maize alone.
- Interactor
- common lambsquarters
Chenopodium albume0t0weed - Value
- 27 to 73%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“from 27 to 73% when it was grown with common lambsquarters compared to maize grown alone”
t0“maize root density was reduced from 41 to 87%”
Claim · model-written summary
Redroot pigweed restricted maize root growth more than shoot growth.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both weed species restricted root growth more than they restricted shoot growth of maize”
t0“maize root density was reduced from 41 to 87% when it was grown with redroot pigweed”
Claim · model-written summary
Common lambsquarters restricted maize root growth more than shoot growth.
- Interactor
- common lambsquartersChenopodium albume0t0weed
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both weed species restricted root growth more than they restricted shoot growth of maize”
t0“from 27 to 73% when it was grown with common lambsquarters compared to maize grown alone”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize presence changed common lambsquarters root density from a 25% reduction to a 23% increase.
- Treatment
- maizee0
- Interactor
- common lambsquartersChenopodium albume0weed
- Outcome
- root density of the weedse0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Value
- 25% to an increase of 23%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The effect of maize on the root density of the weeds ranged from a reduction of 25% to an increase of 23% for common lambsquarters”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize reduced redroot pigweed root density by 6 to 42%.
- Value
- 42 to 6%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a reduction of 42 to 6% for redroot pigweed”
t0“The effect of maize on the root density of the weeds ranged from a reduction of 25% to an increase of 23% for common lambsquarters”
Claim · model-written summary
GFP maize with minirhizotrons enabled direct quantification of crop roots growing with weeds.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“first direct quantification of root growth and distribution of maize growing together with weeds”
The same questions in other papers
Chenopodium album · growth · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.