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- Title
Corn seedling root growth response to soil physical quality.
- Authors
Nunes, Márcio R.; de Lima, Renato P.; Tormena, Cassio A.; Karlen, Douglas L.
- Abstract
Plant available water content or matric potential, particle size (texture), aeration, and penetration resistance are soil physical properties that influence soil structure, bulk density, aggregation, and several metabolic plant processes. Collectively they influence productivity and sustainability of agricultural practices, primarily through their impact on root development and growth. To simplify use of these parameters for assessing soil physical condition, the least limiting water range (LLWR) was developed as an integrated, comprehensive soil physical quality indicator. Our objective was to use the LLWR to evaluate corn (Zea mays L.) seedling root growth in soils with clay, sandy clay loam, or sand texture. Overall, root growth was affected by soil water content, aeration, and penetration resistance. Upper and lower LLWR boundaries were defined by a minimum air‐filled porosity and maximum soil penetration resistance for water contents between field capacity and permanent wilting point. Herein, the LLWR was calculated using a range of minimum air‐filled porosity (0.117–0.146 m3 m−3), field capacity (–2.2 to –5.3 kPa), and permanent wilting point or matric potential values (–461 to –6,516 kPa), and a restrictive penetration resistance value of 1.6 MPa as boundaries. The LLWR was sensitive to soil texture, decreasing from fine to coarse soils. The highest and lowest relative root growth measurements fell inside and outside the LLWR boundaries, proving that this index can successfully predict the optimum soil physical conditions for seedlings root growth and can therefore be used as a sensitive soil physical quality. Core Ideas: Soil strength, aeration, and water content can interactively affect plant root growth.At water content close to saturation, root growth is limited by low oxygen availability.In dry soils, root growth is limited by low water availability and/or mechanical impedance.The least‐limiting water range index integrates soil water, aeration, and soil strength effects.Least‐limiting water range successfully predicted optimum soil physical conditions for root growth.
- Subjects
CORN seedlings; SOIL quality; CORN growth; CLAY soils; SOIL moisture; ROOT growth; PLANT-water relationships
- Publication
Agronomy Journal, 2021, Vol 113, Issue 4, p3135
- ISSN
0002-1962
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/agj2.20705