Factors affecting root growth

 Plant factors
 Soil/ environmental factors
Plant factors

 Hormones & hormonal interactions

 Carbohydrate supply
 Root competition and allelopathy
Plant factors: Hormonal effects/interactions
Hormones play an important role in the regulation of
root growth and development, e.g.
 Auxins, formed in shoot & moves to root tip.
 Promote the formation of lateral roots & regulate main

root elongation.
 IAA, acts in apical root zone.
 Regulate cell extension,

 High conc. inhibits cell elongation.

 CYT, formed in root apical zone and exported to shoot.

 High CYT conc. inhibits elongation of main axis and

formation of lateral roots.

Plant factors: Hormonal effects/interactions

 Ethylene
 Low conc. (<1 mg L-1) enhances root elongation.
 High conc., inhibits root elongation but
 increases root diameter and root hair formation,
 induces aerenchyma formation.
Plant factors: Hormonal effects/interactions

 ABA, concentrated in apical root zone

 Conc. in apical root zone inversely relates with
the root growth rate.
 However, it enhances lateral root and root hair
formation.
 Acts as a signal transducer.
Plant factors: Carbohydrate supply
 25-50% photosynthates are allocated to roots.
 New root growth is usually directly related to light
intensity and rate of photosynthesis.
 Limitation of photosynthates reduces root growth
more than shoot growth.
 Symbionts, fungi or bacteria, effectively compete for
CHO and there is a correspondingly decline in root
growth.
Root competition and allelopathy
 Root competition results in decreased size of
the root system.
 Allelopathy is the suppression of growth of
one plant species by another due to the
release of toxic substances.
Soil factors
 Mineral nutrient supply
 Soil pH
 Calcium conc.
 Low molecular weight organic solutes
 Aeration
 Mechanical impedance
 Temperature
 Moisture
 Root volume restriction
 Soil factors: Mineral nutrient supply

 affects growth, morphology and distribution of root

system.
 N has strong effect followed by P.
 Root growth increases in zone of high N & P.
 Shoot/root dry wt. ratio increases with high N.
 Roots get finer with more length & branches; high
N.
Soil factors: Mineral nutrient supply
 Root hairs get longer and dense; low N & P.
 Low N supply results in aerenchyma
formation.
 Root turn over rate increases; low N, 200% vs
50%.
 Shoot/root dry wt. ratio decrease; low P.
 High cluster or proteoid root formation, low P.
 Soil factors: Soil pH
 External pH 5.0-7.5, mostly suitable.
 High pH:
 Effects transmembrane pH gradient, electropotential
gradient & proton-anion cotransport at PM.
 Results in ammonia toxicity that inhibits root elongation.
 High HCO3- conc. at high pH also reduces root growth.
 Reduces cell elongation, possibly by scavenging
protons from the apoplasm (acid growth theory).
 Low pH:
 Inhibits root elongation, possibly by impairment of
H+ efflux & Al toxicity.
Soil factors: Ca+2
 Ca+2 is very important for root growth under
low pH & saline conds.
 e.g. for cotton at pH 5.6, ~ 1 µM Ca+2
and at pH 4.5, 50 µM Ca+2
 Opt. molar ratio of Ca+2/total cations, ~0.15.
 Soil factors: Aeration
 For respiration, roots require oxygen provided by
gas exchange b/w soil & atmosphere.
 Gas exchange in air is 104 times higher than water.
 In soil, gas exchange occurs in air filled pores.
 Poor O2 availability inhibits root extension.
 In poorly aerated conds. CO2 and ethylene get
trapped & elevated, and inhibits root growth.
Soil factors: Organic solutes
 Water-soluble fraction of soil organic matter affects
root growth, especially under poorly aerated
conditions.
 In low conc. root initiation & elongation are enhanced
by fulvic acid and phenols.
 In high conc. phenols & short-chain fatty acids inhibit
root growth e.g. coumaric acid, hydroxybenzoic acid
& phenylpropionic acid.
 Well N supplied plants can detoxify the acids.
 IAA may be involved in root inhibition here.
 ↓ pH- ↑phytotoxicity of acids, as PM permeability ↑.
 Soil factors: Rhizosphere microbes

Depending on microbe type, plant species &

environ. cond. root growth can get
 Stimulated, inhibited or no effect
 Detrimental microorganisms
 Root pathogens, detrimental rhizobacteria &
cyanide producers e.g.
 G. graminis & cyst nematodes impair CYT prod.
Soil factors: Rhizosphere microbes
 Beneficial microorganisms
 Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) e.g.
 Azotobactor, azospirillum, pseudomonas spp.
 Promote root growth by:
 Suppressing pathogens
 Producing phytohormones e.g. IAA, CYT & ethylene.
 Enhancing decomposition of ethylene.
 Improving nutrient acquisition.
 Inoculation with a mixed microflora usually
inhibits primary root elongation.
 Soil factors: Mechanical impedance
 Mechanical impedance refers to resistance
offered by the soil matrix against deformation by
growing roots.
 Except for cracks & macro-pores, root elongation
is soil is possible only to the extent to which the
root pressure exceeds the mechanical
impedance.
Soil factors: Mechanical impedance
 Root elongation decreases as the soil
compaction & bulk density increases b/c of:
 Mech. impedance, ↑ ethylene & ↓ oxygen in
wet soil.
 Mech. impedance, ↓soil water potential & ↓root
pressure.
 Plants respond to mechanical impedance by:
 Increased root dia. & lateral roots, ↑ density/R.
length.
Soil factors: Moisture
 Soil moisture affects RG directly and indirectly by
altering the effect of other parameters e.g.
mechanical impedance
 Low WC intensifies mech. Imped.; ↓ WP, RP
 Slightly high WC gives a relief from mech. imp.
 High WC intensifies mech. Imped.; ↓ O2, ↑ ethyl.
 Low moisture causes more decrease in shoot growth
than in root growth;↑root/shoot ratio, ABA is involved.
 Mostly drought affected roots can regrow.
 In dry soils, root-soil contact decreases;
compensated by ↑ length & density of root hairs.
 Soil factors: Temperature
 Sub- & supraoptimal temps. limit root growth.
 Temp. opt. differs among the spp. & is lower for roots than for
shoots.
 Inhibition of root growth by ↓ or ↑ temp. is also affected by other
environ. Factors e.g.
 ↑ light intensity & N supply- ↑ sensitivity to ↑ temp.
 ↑ temp. inhibits cell division & accelerates maturation of epidermal
cells.
 In ↓ temp. roots become shorter & thicker, and lateral root formation
is depressed as:
 Cell wall extensibility is decreased; e.g. in maize 75%.
 Lignification of late metaxylem is delayed.
 ABA synthesis ↑ but of CYT synthesis & root export ↓.
 Nutrient uptake and supply decreases.
Soil factors: Salts and heavy metals
 Salts depress root growth by:
 Lowering soil water potential.
 Ion toxicity and
 Ion imbalance.
 Heavy metals inhibit root growth by certain
ion toxicities.
Root/shoot relationship
 Varies with plant species
 Depends on growth stage and environmental
conditions like nutrition & stresses etc.
 Plants maintain a particular relationship e.g.
 If part of a shoot is removed-root is also
reduced.
 Stresses usually result in an increased R/S.
Root/shoot relationship
 R/S regulation mechanisms include:
 Hormones e.g.CYT produced in R apical zone.
 CYT accumulation in roots results in reduced root
growth.
 Stresses induced reduction in shoot growth can
be partially overcome by foliar CYT application.
 Photosynthates availability
 Annual spp.; reproductive stage: reduced R
growth
 Perennial spp.; fruiting stage: reduced R growth
and turn over.