Perennial grass root system specializes for multiple resource acquisitions with differential elongation and branching patterns.

ABSTRACT: Roots optimize the acquisition of limited soil resources, but relationships between root forms and functions have often been assumed rather than demonstrated. Furthermore, how root systems co-specialize for multiple resource acquisitions is unclear. Theory suggests that trade-offs exist for the acquisition of different resource types, such as water and certain nutrients. Measurements used to describe the acquisition of different resources should then account for differential root responses within a single system. To demonstrate this, we grew Panicum virgatum in split-root systems that vertically partitioned high water availability from nutrient availability so that root systems must absorb the resources separately to fully meet plant demands. We evaluated root elongation, surface ar

SUBMITTER: Glass NT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10064013 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature