A TECHNIQUE FOR STUDYING THE RATE OF ROOT GROWTH OF INTACT SEEDLINGS IN A HERBICIDE MEDIUM

Summary. Time-lapse cine photography was used to record intact seedling root growth of pea and barley during separate exposure of root, shoot + seed, or entire needling to herbicides. The shoot + seed and the root zones were isolated in two square Petri dishes fixed edge to edge, and separately treated with moistened herbicide-treated sand. The seated dishes were placed at an angle of 30° in a photographic chamber. Photographs of roots were automatically recorded at 10-min intervals on 16 mm high speed reversal film over 72 h. Root length images on film were measured using an ocular micrometer. Root growth of pea and barley seedlings was normal when the shoot + seed zone was treated with 2,4-D at 1 and 10 ppm, respectively. In similar treatment of roots growth inhibition occurred after approximately 20 h in both plants, and root growth ceased alter 32 h in peas, and 57 h in barley. These results indicate the inherent tolerance of barley roots to 2,4-D.
Technique pour l'étude du taux de croissance des racines intactes de plantules dans un milieu herbicide