Abstract
Studies on the function of root traits and the genetic variation in these traits are often conducted under controlled conditions using individual potted plants. Little is known about root growth under field conditions and how root traits are affected by agronomic practices in particular sowing density. We hypothesized that with increasing sowing density, root length density (root length per soil volume, cm cm(-3)) increases in the topsoil as well as specific root length (root length per root dry weight, cm g(-1)) due to greater investment in fine roots. Therefore, we studied two spring barley cultivars at ten different sowing densities (24-340 seeds m(-2)) in 2 consecutive years in a clay loam field in Germany and established sowing density dose-response curves for several root and shoot traits. We took soil cores for measuring roots up to a depth of 60 cm in and between plant rows (inter-row distance 21 cm). Root length density increased with increasing sowing density and was greatest in the plant row in the topsoil (0-10 cm). Greater sowing density increased specific root length partly through greater production of fine roots in the topsoil. Rooting depth (D50) of the major root axes (root diameter class 0.4-1.0 mm) was not affected. Root mass fraction decreased, while stem mass fraction increased with sowing density and over time. Leaf mass fraction was constant over sowing density but greater leaf area was realized through increased specific leaf area. Considering fertilization, we assume that light competition caused plants to grow more shoot mass at the cost of investment into roots, which is partly compensated by increased specific root length and shallow rooting. Increased biomass per area with greater densities suggest that density increases the efficiency of the cropping system, however, declines in harvest index at densities over 230 plants m(-2) suggest that this efficiency did not translate into greater yield. We conclude that plant density is a modifier of root architecture and that root traits and their utility in breeding for greater productivity have to be understood in the context of high sowing densities.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Root length density increased with sowing density and peaked in topsoil plant rows.
- Taxon
- Spring Barley
.jpg?width=60)
Hordeum vulgaret0 - Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- Root length densitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Root length density increased with increasing sowing density and was greatest in the plant row in the topsoil (0-10 cm).”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Greater sowing density increased specific root length.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- specific root lengthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Greater sowing density increased specific root length partly through greater production of fine roots in the topsoil.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Greater sowing density increased fine-root production.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- production of fine rootse0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Greater sowing density increased specific root length partly through greater production of fine roots in the topsoil.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Rooting depth of major axes was unaffected.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Outcome
- Rooting depthe0
- Direction
- not affectede0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rooting depth (D50) of the major root axes (root diameter class 0.4-1.0 mm) was not affected.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Root mass fraction declined with sowing density.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- Root mass fractione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root mass fraction decreased, while stem mass fraction increased with sowing density and over time.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Stem mass fraction rose with sowing density.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- stem mass fractione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root mass fraction decreased, while stem mass fraction increased with sowing density and over time.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf mass fraction stayed constant across sowing densities.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- Leaf mass fractione0
- Direction
- constante0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf mass fraction was constant over sowing density but greater leaf area was realized through increased specific leaf area.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Specific leaf area increased.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- sowing densitye0
- Outcome
- specific leaf areae0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf mass fraction was constant over sowing density but greater leaf area was realized through increased specific leaf area.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biomass per area increased at greater density.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- densitye0
- Outcome
- biomass per areae0
- Direction
- Increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increased biomass per area with greater densities suggest that density increases the efficiency of the cropping system, however, declines in harvest index at densities over 230 plants m(-2) suggest that this efficiency did not translate into greater yield.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Harvest index declined above 230 plants per square metre.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- densitye0
- Outcome
- harvest indexe0
- Direction
- declinese0
- Qualifier
- densities over 230 plants m(-2)e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increased biomass per area with greater densities suggest that density increases the efficiency of the cropping system, however, declines in harvest index at densities over 230 plants m(-2) suggest that this efficiency did not translate into greater yield.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend evaluating root traits for productivity breeding in high-density settings.
- Taxon
- Spring BarleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Outcome
- root traits and their utility in breeding for greater productivity have to be understood in the context of high sowing densitiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We conclude that plant density is a modifier of root architecture and that root traits and their utility in breeding for greater productivity have to be understood in the context of high sowing densities.”
t0“Spring Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)”
The same questions in other papers
density · growth · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Positive and negative results
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See all 25 papers →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.