Growth and branching of the taproot of young oak trees—a dynamic study

Abstract

The growth and branching of the taproot of young oak trees were studied on seedlings grown in root observation boxes over a period of 30-45 d. The development of shoots and roots were recorded daily on a set of eight plants, and additional observations on the initiation of primordia were made on another set of 18 plants. Taproot growth was typically indeterminate and linear, with growth rates in the range of 1.5-2.5 cm d -1 . In some cases, however, growth slowed down or stopped, and resumed a few days later. The growth of shoots and roots were not synchronized. Taproots branched in two ways: acropetal branches emerged from 4-8-d-old taproot tissues, and late branches emerged from older tissues (up to 30 d in our experiment)