Root Growth and Soil Water Dynamics in Relation to Inorganic and Organic Fertilization in Maize–Wheat

Agricultural productivity is increasingly becoming dependent upon soil fertility, which is generally thought to be supplemented through the application of nutrients mainly through inorganic fertilizers. The present study aims to characterize the soil physical environment in relation to long-term application of farmyard manure (FYM) and inorganic fertilizers in a maize–wheat cropping system. The treatments in both the maize and wheat systems included a control (without any fertilizer or FYM), FYM (farmyard manure at 20 t ha^?1), N₁₀₀ (nitrogen at 100 kg ha^?1), N₁₀₀P₅₀ (nitrogen and phosphorus at 100 and 50 kg ha^?1), and N₁₀₀P₅₀K₅₀ (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash at 100, 50, and 50 kg ha^?1). The treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design in sandy loam soil. The root mass density in surface layers of both the crops was lower in FYM and higher in inorganic fertilizer plots. The root length density was found to be highest in FYM-treated plots and lowest in control plots. The periodic soil matric suction during wheat following maize remained highest in FYM plots followed by that in N₁₀₀ plots in all the layers. The soil water storage of wheat at harvest (rice–wheat) was highest (21.1 cm) in control and lowest (17.8 cm) in FYM-treated plots. The soil water status, root growth, and crop performance improved with balanced fertilization.     

黄土丘陵区4种典型植物根系分布特征及对土壤分离速率的影响

以黄土丘陵区4种典型植物种群(狼牙刺、白羊草、铁杆蒿、达乌里胡枝子)为研究对象,采用野外采样、室内模拟试验与分析相结合的方法,对0—30cm土层的各径级根系密度参数(根长密度、根体积密度、根表面积密度)与土壤理化性质、土壤分离速率间的关系进行了研究。结果表明:(1)4种植物的根系径级主要集中在0D≤1.0mm之间,86%~93%的根长和46%~61%的根表面积分布在此范围内,且根系径级越大,根系各密度参数越小;(2)4种植物各径级根密度参数对土壤理化性质(容重、有机质、团聚体)的影响各不相同;狼牙刺根系直径为0D≤1.0mm的根密度参数与土壤容重、有机质含量呈极显著相关;铁杆蒿在0D≤1.0mm径级的根密度参数与土壤容重呈极显著负相关,与土壤有机质含量呈极显著正相关,所有径级的根密度参数与土壤团聚体均呈显著正相关;白羊草在0D≤5.0mm径级区间内的根可有效改善土壤的容重,在0D≤2.0mm径级根密度参数与土壤有机质、团聚体呈显著正相关;达乌里胡枝子在3.0D≤5.0mm径级的根对土壤容重影响显著,直径D1.0mm的根对土壤团聚体有显著的影响;(3)土壤分离速率与根系各密度参数呈负相关。除达乌里胡枝子外,其他3种植物在0.0D≤1.0mm径级上根密度参数与土壤分离速率均呈极显著负相关。     

不同草本植物根系对土壤渗透性的影响

[目的]揭示当地排土场不同草本植物根系对土壤渗透性的影响,阐明预测草本植物根系提升土壤渗透性的最优指标,并得出草本植物根系提升土壤渗透性的最佳径级,为排土场生态修复植物选择提供重要依据。[方法]以海州露天矿排土场为研究地点,以轴根型紫花地丁、根蘖型苦荬菜和根茎型水麦冬为研究对象,采用图片像素换算法量化3种根系在不同土层深度范围内的根系分布特征; 并结合渗透试验获取3种草本植物原状根土复合体的渗透参数,进而探究了根土复合体根系分布参数与渗透参数的关系。[结果]3种草本植物均能提升土壤的渗透性能,轴根型、根茎型和根蘖型根土复合体的初始入渗率、稳渗率、平均渗透速率、渗透总量相较于素土分别提升82.23%～254.99%,85.59%～307.63%,72.02%～325.91%,62.93%～246.98%。3种草本植物根系的根长密度和根表面积密度与根土复合体的渗透参数均呈现线性相关,根表面积密度的相关性强于根长密度。3种根系对土壤渗透性的增强作用主要归功于0.5 mm相似文献   

Effects of decreasing soil water content on seminal lateral roots of young maize plants

Soil micropores that contain water at or below field capacity cannot be invaded by seminal or first‐order lateral roots of maize plants because their root diameters are larger than 10 μm. Hence, at soil‐water levels below field capacity plant roots must establish a new pore system by displacement of soil particles in order to access soil water. We investigated how decreasing soil water content (SWC) influences growth and morphology of the root system of young maize plants. Plants were grown in rhizotrons 40 cm wide, 50 cm high, and approximately 0.7 cm thick. Five SWC treatments were established by addition of increasing amounts of water to soil and thorough mixing before filling the rhizotrons. No water was added to treatments 1–4 throughout the experiment. Treatment 5 was watered frequently throughout the experiment to serve as a control. Seminal‐root length and SWC in soil layers 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm were measured at intervals of 2–3 d on scanner images by image analysis. At 15 d after planting, for treatments 1–4 shoot dry weight and total root length were directly related to the amount of water added to the soil, and for treatments 4 and 5, total root length and shoot dry weights were similar. Length of seminal roots visible at the transparent surface of the rhizotron for all treatments was highest in the uppermost soil layer and decreased with distance from the soil surface. For all layers, seminal‐root elongation rate was at maximum above a SWC of 0.17 cm³ cm^–3, corresponding to a matric potential of –30 kPa. With decreasing SWC, elongation rate decreased, and 20% of maximum seminal root elongation rate was observed below SWC of 0.05 cm³ cm^–3. After destructive harvest for treatment 1–4, number of (root‐) tips per unit length of seminal root was found uninfluenced over the range of initial SWC from 0.10 to 0.26 cm³ cm^–3. However, initial SWC close to the permanent wilting point strongly increased number of tips. Average root length of first‐order lateral (FOL) roots increased as initial SWC increased, and the highest length was found for the frequently watered treatment 5. The results of the study suggest that the ability to produce new FOL roots across a wide range of SWC may give maize an adaptive advantage, because FOL root growth can rapidly adapt to changing soil moisture conditions.     

两个氮素利用率不同的水稻品种根系形态及生理特性的差异

The variation in nitrogen (N) uptake by rice has been widely studied but differences in rice root morphology that may contribute to this variation are not completely understood. Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out to study N accumulation, root dry weights, total root lengths, root surface areas, and root bleeding rates of two rice cultivars, Elio with low N-use efficiency and Nanguang with high N-use efficiency. Low (1 mmol N L^-1) and high (5 mmol N L^-1) N applications were established in the greenhouse experiment, and the N rates were 0, 120, and 240 kg ha^-1 in the field experiments at Jiangning and Jiangpu farms, Nanjing, China. The results showed that the N accumulation, root dry weight, total root length, and root surface area increased with an increase in N application. At the heading stage, N accumulation in the shoots and roots of Nanguang was greater than that of Elio in the field experiments and that of Elio at 5 mmol N L^-1 in the greenhouse experiment. After the heading stage, N accumulation was higher for Nanguang at both 1 and 5 mmol N L^-1 in the greenhouse experiment. The total root length and root surface area were significantly different between the two cultivars. Over the range of the fertilizer application rates, the root lengths of Nanguang at Jiangning Farm were 49%-61% greater at booting and 26%-39% greater at heading than those of Elio, and at Jiangpu Farm they were 22%-42% and 26%-38% greater, respectively. Nanguang had a greater root bleeding rate than Elio. It was concluded that the N-use efficiency of the two rice cultivars studied depended to a great extent on the root morphological parameters and root physiological characteristics at different growth stages.     

SUBSOIL ROOT GROWTH OF FIELD GROWN SPRING WHEAT GENOTYPES (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) DIFFERING IN NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY PARAMETERS

In a two-year (1999–2000) field experiment four Swiss spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes (cvs. ‘Albis’, ‘Toronit’ and ‘Pizol’ and an experimental line ‘L94491’) were compared for genotypic differences in the root parameters that determine uptake potential and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE):root surface area (RSA) and its components, root length density (RLD) and the diameter of the roots. The genotypes were grown under no (N0) and under ample fertilizer nitrogen (N) [ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃); N1; 250 kg N ha^?1] supply. Root samples were taken from all the genotypes at anthesis from the subsoil (30–60 cm). Genotypic effects on RLD and RSA were evident only in 2000 and large amounts of N fertilizer usually diminished root growth. Adequate soil moisture in 1999 may have favored the establishment of the root system of all the genotypes before anthesis. Parameters of NUE for each genotype were also determined at anthesis and at physiological maturity. ‘Albis’ the least efficient cv. in recovering fertilizer N (ranged from 36.5 to 61.1%) with the lowest N uptake efficiency (0.47 to 0.79 kg kg^?1) had the lowest RLD and RSA in both seasons. Among genotypes ‘Toronit’, a high-yielding cv., efficient in recovering fertilizer N, exhibited the higher NUE (22.4 to 29.3 kg kg^?1) and tended to have the highest values of RLD and RSA. Nitrogen fertilization also led to an increase in the proportion of roots with diameters less than 300 μm and decreased the proportion of roots with diameters of 300 to 700 μm. These trends were more pronounced for cv. ‘Pizol’ in 1999 and for cv. ‘Toronit’ in 1999 and 2000. By anthesis in a humid temperate climate, there are no marked differences in the subsoil root growth of the examined genotypes. Some peculiarities on the root growth characteristics of the cultivars ‘Albis’ and ‘Toronit’ may partially explain their different NUE performance.     

不同护坡草本植物的根系分布特征及其对土壤抗剪强度的影响

为明确用于三峡库区植被构建的边坡植物物种根系特征与土壤抗剪强度之间的关系,该文以裸地为对照,应用WinRHIZO(Pro.2004c)根系分析系统对香根草(Vetiveria zizanioides(Lin.) Nash)、百喜草(Paspalum notatum Flugge)、狗牙根(Cynodon dactylon(L) Pers.)和紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.)4种护坡草本的根系特征进行定量分析.研究发现:香根草的根长密度和根表面积密度显著大于其他草本;各草本类型的根长密度、根表面积密度及根重密度均随着土壤深度的增加递减,但随深度的增加,不同草本类型的差异逐步缩小;不同草本类型土壤内摩擦角φ和粘聚力c大小均为:香根草>百喜草>紫花苜蓿>狗牙根>裸地,且随土层深度的增加而降低;随着根长密度、根表面积密度的增大,土壤内摩擦角φ呈显著的对数增长,土壤粘聚力c呈显著的线性增长,且与直径D≤5 mm不同径级的根系特征之间存在明显的相关性.结果表明:相对于裸地而言,4种草本均能显著增强土壤内摩擦角φ和粘聚力c,且根系对土壤内摩擦角φ的提高程度大于土壤粘聚力c;根长密度和根表面积密度,尤其是直径D≤5 mm径级的根长密度和根表面积密度能很好的表征土壤的抗剪强度,可作为评估土壤抗剪强度的重要参数.     

黄土区草被生长过程中土壤抗冲性及其与影响因素的关系

采用室内盆栽与原状土冲刷相结合的方法,设置了裸地对照(CK)、低种植密度黑麦草(H1)和高种植密度黑麦草(H2)3种处理,对3种处理在不同生长阶段的土壤理化性质和根系变化进行研究,分析了黄土区草被生长过程中土壤抗冲性及其与影响因素的相关关系。结果表明:(1)处理CK的容重、有机质含量和水稳性团聚体在4个生长阶段波动变化,但变化范围较小;随生长周期的延长,H1和H2处理的土壤容重呈下降趋势,有机质含量、水稳性团聚体、根表面积密度(RSAD,root surface area density)和根生物量密度(RWD,root weight density)呈增加趋势;在4个生长阶段,H1和H2处理各根径的RSAD表现为随根系径级的增大而减小。(2)CK和H2处理的土壤抗冲指数(ASI,anti-scourability index)在4个生长阶段无显著性变化;H1处理的ASI随生长时间的延长表现为逐渐增加的趋势,且在第16周,对ASI的影响最显著。(3)ASI与土壤容重呈幂函数递减关系,与有机质含量、水稳性团聚体呈幂函数递增关系,与RSAD、RWD之间均呈指数递增函数关系。(4)ASI与容重、水稳性团聚体、1.0~2.0,2.0~5.0,5mm径级的RSAD之间均无显著差异,与有机质含量、RSAD及RWD呈显著正相关(p0.05),与1mm径级的RSAD呈极显著正相关(p0.01)。     

滇南地区普洱茶树根系对土壤优先路径形成的影响

为明确滇南地区普洱茶种植下土壤优先路径特征以及根系对其形成的影响,以典型普洱茶产地为研究对象,灌草地为对照,基于染色示踪法与图像处理技术,定量分析普洱茶树根系特征与土壤优先路径的关系,解释根系对优先路径形成的影响.结果表明:(1)茶地和灌草地染色路径宽度随土层深度增加呈不同幅度的下降趋势,茶地优先路径的连通性比灌草地差...     

长期定位试验中氮肥与磷肥有机肥联合施用通过刺激根的生长增加玉米产量和养分吸收

Imbalanced application of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers can result in reduced crop yield, low nutrient use efficiency, and high loss of nutrients and soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) accumulation decreases when N is applied with P and/or manure; however, the effect of applications of N with P and/or manure on root growth and distribution in the soil profile is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of different N and P fertilizer application rates with or without manure on maize (Zea mays L.) yield, N uptake, root growth, apparent N surplus, Olsen-P concentration, and mineral N (Nmin) accumulation in a fluvo-aquic calcareous soil from a long-term (28-year) experiment. The experiment comprised twelve combinations of chemical N and P fertilizers, either with or without chicken manure, as treatments in four replicates. The yield of maize grain was 82% higher, the N uptake 100% higher, and the Nmin accumulation 39% lower in the treatments with combined N and P in comparison to N fertilizer only. The maize root length density in the 30--60 cm layer was three times greater in the treatments with N and P fertilizers than with N fertilizer only. Manure addition increased maize yield by 50% and N uptake by 43%, and reduced Nmin (mostly NO₃^--N) accumulation in the soil by 46%. The long-term application of manure and P fertilizer resulted in significant increases in soil Olsen-P concentration when no N fertilizer was applied. Manure application reduced the apparent N surplus for all treatments. These results suggest that combined N and P fertilizer applications could enhance maize grain yield and nutrient uptake via stimulating root growth, leading to reduced accumulation of potentially leachable NO₃^--N in soil, and manure application was a practical way to improve degraded soils in China and the rest of the world.     

Aspartase Activity of Soils Under Different Management Systems

Abstract

Recent interest in soil tillage, cropping systems, and residue management has focused on low‐input sustainable agriculture. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of various management systems on aspartase activity in soils. This enzyme [L‐aspartate ammonia‐lyase, EC 4.3.1.1] catalyzes the hydrolysis of L‐aspartate to fumarate and NH₃. It may play a significant role in the mineralization of organic N in soils. The management systems consisted of three cropping systems [continuous corn (Zea mays L.) (CCCC); corn‐soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]‐corn‐soybean (CSCS); and corn‐oat (Avena sativa L.)‐meadow‐meadow (COMM) {meadow was a mixture of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.)] at three long‐term field experiments initiated in 1954, 1957, and 1978 in Iowa and sampled in June 1987. The plots received 0 or 180 (or 200) kg ha^?1 before corn and an annual application of 20 kg P and 56 kg K ha^?1. The tillage systems (no‐tillage, chisel plow, and moldboard plow) were initiated in 1981 in Wisconsin and sampled in May 1991. The crop residue treatments were: bare, normal, mulch, and double (2×) mulch. The residue in the study was corn stalks. Results showed that, in general, crop rotation in combination with N fertilizer treatments affected aspartase activity in the following order: COMM>CSCS>CCCC. Because of nitrification of the NH₄ ⁺ or NH₄ ⁺‐forming fertilizers, which resulted in decreasing the pH values, N fertilizer application, in general, decreased the aspartase activity in soils in the order: CCCC>CSCS>COMM. The effect of tillage and residue management practices on aspartase activity in soils showed a very wide variation. The trend was as follows: no‐till/2× mulch>chisel plow/mulch>moldboard plow/mulch>no‐till normal>chisel plow/normal>no‐till bare>moldboard plow/normal. Aspartase activity decreased with increasing depth in the plow layer (0–15 cm) of the no‐till/2× mulch. The decreased activity was accompanied by decreasing organic C and pH with depth. Statistical analyses using pooled data (28 samples) showed that aspartase activity was significantly, linearly correlated with organic C (r=0.78^***) and exponentially with soil pH (r=0.53**). The variation in the patterns and magnitudes of activity distribution among the profiles of the four replicated plots was probably due to the spatial variability in soils.     

放牧强度对中国内蒙古草原土壤水分状况与通量的影响

In the past few decades,the increase in grazing intensity has led to soil degradation and desertification in Inner Mongolia grassland,China,due to population growth and shift in the socio-economic system.Two sites with different grazing intensities,continuous grazing site(CG) with 1.2 sheep ha 1 year 1 and heavy grazing site(HG) with 2.0 sheep ha 1 year 1,were investigated at the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station(43 37 50 N,116 42 18 E) situated in the northern China to i) characterize the temporal distribution of soil water content along soil profile;and ii) quantify the water fluxes as affected by grazing intensity.Soil water content was monitored by time domain reflectometry(TDR) probes.Soil water retention curves were determined by pressure membrane extractor,furthermore processed by RETC(RETention Curve) software.Soil matric potential,plant available water and water flux were calculated using these data.Both sites showed an identical seasonal soil water dynamics within four defined hydraulic periods:1) wetting transition coincided with a dramatic water increase due to snow and frozen soil thawing from March to April;2) wet summer,rainfall in accordance with plant growth from May to September;3) drying transition,a decrease of soil water from October to November due to rainfall limit;and 4) dry winter,freezing from December to next February.Heavy grazing largely reduced soil water content by 43%-48% and plant available water by 46%-61% as compared to the CG site.During growing season net water flux was nearly similar between HG(242 mm) and CG(223 mm) sites between 5 and 20 cm depths.However,between 20 and 40 cm depths,the upward flux was more pronounced at HG site than at CG site,indicating that water was depleted by root uptake at HG site but stored at CG site.In semi-arid grassland ecosystem,grazing intensity can affect soil water regime and flux,particularly in the growing season.