Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/15668
Title: Root hairs improve root penetration, root-soil contact, and phosphorus acquisition in soils of different strength
Contributor(s): Haling, Rebecca  (author); Brown, Lawrie K (author); Bengough, A Glyn (author); Young, Iain  (author); Hallett, Paul D (author); White, Philip J (author); George, Timothy S (author)
Publication Date: 2013
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert200Open Access Link
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/15668
Abstract: Root hairs are a key trait for improving the acquisition of phosphorus (P) by plants. However, it is not known whether root hairs provide significant advantage for plant growth under combined soil stresses, particularly under conditions that are known to restrict root hair initiation or elongation (e.g. compacted or high-strength soils). To investigate this, the root growth and P uptake of root hair genotypes of barley, 'Hordeum vulgare' L. (i.e. genotypes with and without root hairs), were assessed under combinations of P deficiency and high soil strength. Genotypes with root hairs were found to have an advantage for root penetration into high-strength layers relative to root hairless genotypes. In P-deficient soils, despite a 20% reduction in root hair length under high-strength conditions, genotypes with root hairs were also found to have an advantage for P uptake. However, in fertilized soils, root hairs conferred an advantage for P uptake in low-strength soil but not in high-strength soil. Improved root-soil contact, coupled with an increased supply of P to the root, may decrease the value of root hairs for P acquisition in high-strength, high-P soils. Nevertheless, this work demonstrates that root hairs are a valuable trait for plant growth and nutrient acquisition under combined soil stresses. Selecting plants with superior root hair traits is important for improving P uptake efficiency and hence the sustainability of agricultural systems.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Journal of Experimental Botany, 64(12), p. 3711-3721
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 1460-2431
0022-0957
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 050305 Soil Physics
070306 Crop and Pasture Nutrition
050303 Soil Biology
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 410605 Soil physics
300407 Crop and pasture nutrition
410603 Soil biology
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 829999 Plant Production and Plant Primary Products not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 269999 Other plant production and plant primary products not elsewhere classified
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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