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  • thin-section technique  (3)
  • 1
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: image analysis ; maize ; nearest-neighbour distance ; root-soil contact ; soil compaction ; soil porosity ; thin-section technique
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The degree of root-soil contact was evaluated from thin sections for maize grown in pots with soil aggregates packed at three bulk densities. Root-soil contact was found to increase with bulk density of the soil. For soils with a porosity of 60, 51 and 44% (v/v), the average fraction of root-soil contact was 60, 72 and 87%, respectively. The frequency distribution of nearest-neighbour distances from points in a void to the nearest point of the soil matrix was measured. This was then used for a statistical test of a null hypothesis of random positioning of roots in voids. Where roots grew in larger pores or voids the degree of root-soil contact was greater than expected for random positioning of roots. Possible mechanisms of the observed preference of roots for proximity to the soil, and higher root-soil contact are discussed.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: freeze-drying ; maize ; root-soil contact ; soil compaction ; soil porosity ; thin-section technique
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract In models of oxygen, water and nutrient uptake by plant roots, the degree of root-soil contact is an important parameter. An observation technique is required to evaluate to what extent root-soil contact depends on plant species, soil texture and structure. Thin sections for studying soil structure may be used for this purpose, provided that roots do not shrink during section preparation, and that all root cross sections are recognized. Maize was grown in pots with soil aggregates obtained by sieving and compacting to three bulk densities. Thin sections were made by freeze-drying samples before impregnating the soil with resin. Two checks were made on the validity of the method. Firstly, visual appearance of roots with intact epidermis, cortex and other tissues did not show signs of shrinkage. Secondly, the agreement was checked between root lengths obtained by washing duplicate soil samples and the number of root cross sections counted on horizonal and vertical thin sections. For the latter, the angle at which roots intersected the thin-section plane was determined from the shape of the cross sections. The frequency distribution of calculated angles was in agreement with the frequency distribution expected for a randomly oriented set of cylinders when an error term was included in the simulated measurements. Some results are presented for a field test of the thin-section method with barley on a calcareous marine sandy loam. Root hairs, apparently undamaged by sample preparation, are important for bridging the gap between roots and soil in this situation. According to the experience presented, the thin-section technique is suitable to derive the degree of root-soil contact, as influenced by species, soil texture and structure, in samples obtained from pot or field experiments.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Plant and soil 139 (1992), S. 131-138 
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: maize ; nitrate uptake ; root-soil contact ; soil compaction ; soil porosity ; thin-section technique ; water uptake
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Whilst adverse effects of soil compaction on plant growth are well known, experimental evidence also suggests that a very loose soil can adversely affect crop growth. We tested the hypothesis that poor root-soil contact in a loose soil is partly responsible for the existence of an optimum in the response curve of crops to soil compaction. In a pot experiment with maize at restricted nitrogen supply, five levels of soil compaction were compared and the percentage root-soil contact was measured in three of these. At the highest soil porosity tested, shoot growth was slightly slower than that at intermediate soil porosity. In the more compacted soil, shoot growth clearly lagged behind. Shoot fresh weight per unit root length decreased with increasing soil porosity over the whole range tested. In the most compacted soil, roots were mainly restricted to the upper zones of the pot and total root length was smaller than in less compacted soil. Water and nitrate uptake were highest at the intermediate pore volume and slightly lower at the highest soil porosity. Water absorption and nitrate uptake per unit root length decreased from compacted to loose soil with decreasing root-soil contact. This effect was more than proportional with the percentage root-soil contact and was in line with a correction value based on a transport model.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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