Rooting Nodes of Deep Roots in Rice and Maize Grown in a Long Tube

Summary

Penetration of the roots deep into soil layer (deep roots) may alleviate growth inhibition under various soil stress conditions. In this study, the nodes from which deep roots had emerged were examined at the heading stage in rice and maize grown in a 2 m long tube. The effect of soil mechanical stress on the rooting nodes of deep roots was also examined. The roots that emerged in a relatively early growth stage, that is, the roots from coleoptilar, 1st and 2nd node in rice, and the seminal root and roots from the coleoptilar, 1st and 2nd nodes in maize, penetrated into the deep soil layer. The node which produced the highest number of deep roots was the 1st node in rice and the coleoptilar node in maize. Seminal root of rice and seminal adventitious roots of maize did not penetrate into the deep soil layer although they emerged at an early growth stage. In the rice root system, the nodal roots, emerged from the upper portion of the node, tended to penetrate deeper than the nodal roots emerged from the lower portion of the same node. Soil compaction did not affect these tendencies.