Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland
The potential for increasing incidence of droughting as a result of climate change has created a requirement for improved understanding of root development in crops. Plant roots penetrate the subsoil to access water by following natural biopores – paths created by roots from previous crops, or as burrows from soil fauna. A replicated spit plot experiment using mesh layers with varying numbers of root-holes per unit area, buried horizontally in the soil, was designed to study root penetration in subsoil of five barley genotypes. Crop performance was monitored by several variables including plant height, leaf area and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI).
Analysis of variance revealed that crop performance was generally related to the amount of access to the subsoil, crops grown with limited access to the subsoil performing better than those with no access. Changes in soil water content were monitored and found to be in line with the amount of root access to the soil. Ongoing experimentation is aimed at identifying interactions with genotypes that can then be used to inform breeding and to match genotype to soil cultivation.
Inhibition of root penetration by
barley plants generates visible
difference in performance.
Further details from: Jim McNicol
Article date 2009
