Root penetration is associated with root diameter and root growth rate in tropical forage grasses

cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Center for Tropical Agricultureen
cg.contributor.affiliationRoyal University of Agricultureen
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Adelaideen
cg.contributor.donorAustralian Centre for International Agricultural Researchen
cg.contributor.initiativeMixed Farming Systems
cg.creator.identifierChanthy Huot: 0000-0003-1557-9070
cg.creator.identifierYi Zhou: 0000-0002-7119-7408
cg.creator.identifierMatthew Denton: 0000-0002-2804-0384
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3390/grasses4010004en
cg.issn2813-3463en
cg.issue1en
cg.journalGrassesen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.subject.actionAreaResilient Agrifood Systems
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatLIVESTOCKen
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatPLANT BREEDINGen
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatSOIL INFORMATIONen
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatTROPICAL FORAGESen
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.subject.sdgSDG 1 - No povertyen
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hungeren
cg.subject.sdgSDG 13 - Climate actionen
cg.volume4en
dc.contributor.authorHuot, Chanthyen
dc.contributor.authorPhilp, Joshua N. M.en
dc.contributor.authorZhou, Yien
dc.contributor.authorDenton, Matthew D.en
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-28T07:05:47Zen
dc.date.available2025-01-28T07:05:47Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/170166
dc.titleRoot penetration is associated with root diameter and root growth rate in tropical forage grassesen
dcterms.abstractSoil compaction impedes root exploration by plants, which limits access to nutrients and water, ultimately compromising survival. The capability of roots to penetrate hard soils is therefore advantageous. While root penetration has been studied in various annual crops, the relationships between root growth and root penetration are poorly understood in tropical perennial grasses. This study aimed to compare root penetration capability in 10 tropical perennial forage grasses and identify relationships between root penetration, root diameter and vertical root growth. Root penetration of each species, namely Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) brizantha cv. Mekong Briz, U. decumbens cv. Basilisk, U. humidicola cv. Tully, U. hybrid cv. Mulato II, U. mosambicensis cv. Nixon, U. ruziziensis cv Kennedy, Panicum coloratum cv. Makarikariense, Megathyrsus maximus (syn. Panicum maximum) cv. Tanzânia, Paspalum scrobiculatum (syn. Paspalum coloratum) cv. BA96 10 and Setaria sphacelata cv Solendar, was evaluated using wax layers of varying resistances, created from a mixture of 40% (1.39 MPa) and 60% (2.12 MPa) paraffin wax, combined with petroleum jelly. Reference root sizes were determined for the grass species by measuring root diameter and root lengths of seedlings grown in growth pouches. Vertical root growth rate for each species was measured in grasses grown in 120 cm deep rhizotrons. Species with greater root penetration at both resistances had significantly higher shoot growth rates (r = 0.65 at 40% wax and 0.66 at 60% wax) and greater root diameters (r = 0.67 at 40% wax and 0.68 at 60% wax). Root penetration was significantly higher in species with greater vertical root growth rate only in the 60% wax treatment (r = 0.82). Root penetration at higher resistance was correlated with the root diameter and rapid vertical root growth of the species. This may indicate a contribution of these traits to root penetration ability. The combination of greater root diameter and root vertical growth rate, as observed in M. maximus, may assist in the identification of perennial forage grasses suitable for agroecosystems challenged by soil compaction and rapidly drying soil surface.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.available2025-01-16
dcterms.bibliographicCitationHuot, C.; Philp, J.N.M.; Zhou, Y.; Denton, M.D. (2025) Root penetration is associated with root diameter and root growth rate in tropical forage grasses. Grasses 4(1): 4. ISSN: 2813-3463en
dcterms.extent4en
dcterms.issued2025-01-16
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Instituteen
dcterms.subjecturochloaen
dcterms.subjectroot penetration depthen
dcterms.subjectprofundidad de penetración de la raízen
dcterms.subjectsoil compactionen
dcterms.subjectcompactación del sueloen
dcterms.subjecttensile strengthen
dcterms.subjectpaspalumen
dcterms.subjectresistencia a la tensiónen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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