Root-shoot relationships in four strains of field-grown Erianthus arundinaceus at seedling stage

Figures & data

Table 1. Morphological traits of shoots and roots in four Erianthus arundinaceus strains at 91 days after planting.

Strains	Stem number (per plant)	Root number (per plant)		Stem diameter (mm)	Root diameter (mm)	Mean root length (m)	Total root length (m per plant)	Root dry weight (g per plant)	Specific root length (m g^−1)
		Main stem (per plant)	Whole plant^# (per plant)
IK1	7.4 ± 0.4 a	14.7 ± 1.8 a	27.7 ± 2.5 a	8.8 ± 0.3 b	0.96 ± 0.07 a	1.36 ± 0.13 c	35.3 ± 2.6 c	0.38 ± 0.04 b	98.4 ± 7.1 a
IK2	3.0 ± 0.3 c	14.6 ± 0.7 a	17.1 ± 0.7 b	10.5 ± 0.4 a	1.06 ± 0.05 a	2.34 ± 0.15 b	38.7 ± 1.7 bc	0.57 ± 0.06 b	71.9 ± 4.4 bc
IK3	4.3 ± 0.3 b	13.6 ± 0.8 a	19.3 ± 0.8 b	10.1 ± 0.4 ab	1.09 ± 0.07 a	3.32 ± 0.26 a	63.3 ± 6.1 a	1.24 ± 0.16 a	54.4 ± 3.4 c
IK4	3.3 ± 0.4 bc	13.2 ± 1.0 a	17.4 ± 1.0 b	9.5 ± 0.6 ab	1.23 ± 0.09 a	3.03 ± 0.17 a	53.8 ± 4.9 ab	0.76 ± 0.10 b	75.3 ± 4.8 b

Note. Values are means and standard errors for 12 plants.

Different letters indicate significant differences at p < .05.

# Whole plant: total number of nodal roots formed on main stem and tillers.

Table 2. Shoot dry weight, number of stems, and bleeding rate at 76 days after transplanting for four Erianthus arundinaceus strains.

Strains	Shoot dry weight (g per plant)	Stem number (per plant)	Bleeding rate (g·h^−1 per plant)
IK1	355 ± 40.2 a	64.5 ± 6.6 a	12.6 ± 2.3 b
IK2	323 ± 38.5 a	35.5 ± 3.4 b	15.1 ± 3.5 b
IK3	322 ± 55.7 a	32.5 ± 4.5 b	20.0 ± 3.5 b
IK4	395 ± 22.8 a	39.2 ± 2.4 b	23.5 ± 2.9 a

Note. Values are means and standard errors for 10–13 plants.

Different letters indicate significant differences at p < .05.

Figure 1. Relationships between the number of stems and bleeding rate per plant (A), and between bleeding rate per stem and bleeding rate per plant (B) in Erianthus arundinaceus. The broken line in A indicates the linear regression among IK2, IK3, and IK4. The solid line in B indicates the linear regression among all the four strains. r: correlation coefficient among all the four strains. r_IK1: correlation coefficient in IK1. r_IK2–4: correlation coefficient among IK2, IK3, and IK4.

Notes. ***Correlation is significant at p < .001. rʹ_A: Partial correlation coefficient eliminating the influence of bleeding rate of each stem. rʹ_B: Partial correlation coefficient eliminating the influence of the total number of stems.