Abstract
This work compared root length distributions of different winter wheat genotypes with soil physical measurements, in attempting to explain the relationship between root length density and soil depth. Field experiments were set up to compare the growth of various wheat lines, including near isogenic lines (Rht-B1a Tall NIL and Rht-B1c Dwarf NIL) and wheat lines grown commercially (cv. Battalion, Hystar Hybrid, Istabraq, and Robigus). Experiments occurred in two successive years under rain fed conditions. Soil water content, temperature and penetrometer resistance profiles were measured, and soil cores taken to estimate vertical profiles of pore distribution, and root number with the core-break method and by root washing. Root length distributions differed substantially between years. Wetter soil in 2014/2015 was associated with shallower roots. Although there was no genotypic effect in 2014/2015, in 2013/2014 the dwarf wheat had the most roots at depth. In the shallower layers, some wheat lines, especially Battalion, seemed better at penetrating non-structured soil. The increase in penetrometer resistance with depth was a putative explanation for the rapid decrease in root length density with depth. Differences between the two years in root profiles were greater than those due to genotype, suggesting that comparisons of different genotypic effects need to take account of different soil conditions and seasonal differences. We also demonstrate that high yields are not necessarily linked to resource acquisition, which did not seem to be limiting in the low yielding dwarf NIL.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Winter wheat root length distributions differed substantially between years.
- Taxon
- winter wheat
Triticum aestivumt0 - Outcome
- Root length distributionse0
- Direction
- differed substantiallye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root length distributions differed substantially between years.”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Wetter soil in 2014/2015 was associated with shallower wheat roots.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- Wetter soile0
- Outcome
- rootse0
- Direction
- shallowere0
- Qualifier
- 2014/2015e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Wetter soil in 2014/2015 was associated with shallower roots.”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
No wheat genotype effect on roots was found in 2014/2015.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- genotypic effecte0
- Direction
- no genotypic effecte0
- Qualifier
- 2014/2015e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there was no genotypic effect in 2014/2015”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
In 2013/2014, dwarf wheat had the most roots at depth.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Material
- dwarf wheate0
- Outcome
- roots at depthe0
- Direction
- moste0
- Qualifier
- 2013/2014e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in 2013/2014 the dwarf wheat had the most roots at depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Battalion wheat seemed better at penetrating non-structured soil in shallow layers.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Material
- Battalione0
- Outcome
- penetrating non-structured soile0
- Direction
- bettere0
- Qualifier
- In the shallower layerse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the shallower layers, some wheat lines, especially Battalion, seemed better at penetrating non-structured soil.”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing penetrometer resistance with depth was proposed to explain declining wheat root length density with depth.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- rapid decrease in root length density with depthe0
- Qualifier
- increase in penetrometer resistance with depthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The increase in penetrometer resistance with depth was a putative explanation for the rapid decrease in root length density with depth.”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Between-year differences in wheat root profiles exceeded genotype differences.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- Differences between the two years in root profilese0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- those due to genotypee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Differences between the two years in root profiles were greater than those due to genotype”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors advise accounting for soil and seasonal differences when comparing wheat genotype effects.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Outcome
- comparisons of different genotypic effects need to take account of different soil conditions and seasonal differencese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“comparisons of different genotypic effects need to take account of different soil conditions and seasonal differences”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
High wheat yields were not necessarily linked to resource acquisition.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Treatment
- resource acquisitione0
- Outcome
- high yieldse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“high yields are not necessarily linked to resource acquisition”
t0“winter wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Resource acquisition did not seem limiting in the low-yielding dwarf wheat NIL.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivumt0
- Material
- dwarf NILe0
- Outcome
- resource acquisition, which did not seem to be limitinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“resource acquisition, which did not seem to be limiting in the low yielding dwarf NIL”
t0“winter wheat”