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Abstract
Spatial distribution of roots is of paramount importance for nutrient acquisition by crop plants. The objective of this study was to assess the spatial distribution of root length density (RLD), root mass density (RMD), and root morphological parameters in maize. Soil monoliths were completely sampled in form of 84 cubic samples of 10-cm edge length. Total root length and mass were dominated by fine roots (<1 mm diameter). Root parameters revealed variability in all three spatial dimensions, notably also parallel to the plant row. Root morphological parameters depended more on the horizontal location with respect to location of plants than on depth. Multiple regression analysis indicated that RLD, proportion of fine roots, and root diameters can be predicted from RMD, soil depth, and distance to plant. These three-dimensional (3D) data could be utilized for evaluation of 3D root growth and nutrient uptake models.
Acknowledgments
The cooperation and support of Horst Gerke during the early stages of the experiment and discussions is highly appreciated. We thank J. Busse and E. Krüger from the ZALF Institute of Landscape Matter Dynamics for excellent assistance in soil and root analyses and R. Hypscher, ZALF Institute of Soil Landscape Research, Müncheberg, for her skilled assistance in density measurements. Financial support was provided by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection (BMVEL) and by the Ministry for Rural Development, Environment and Consumer Protection (MLUV) of Brandenburg.