Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to investigate how increased root growth into the subsoil affects the performance of spring-sown faba beans grown in Canterbury, New Zealand. Experiment 1 (1983/84) compared subsoiling with conventional cultivation, with and without irrigation. Experiment 2 (1984/85) compared subsoiling with conventional cultivation for early and late spring sowings. The silt loam soil had an incipient fragipan at 40–60 cm depth. Rooting density in subsoil layers, and average rooting depth, were increased by subsoiling but total root length was increased only in the late sowing of experiment 2. Irrespective of irrigation or sowing date, subsoiling increased shoot dry matter (by an average of 10% at maturity) but it did not effect changes in seed yield. In experiment 1, irrigation decreased root growth and increased shoot dry matter, but it also decreased seed yields, probably because of lodging. We observed no interactions between subsoiling and irrigation, which suggests subsoiling can improve a crop's ability to avoid drought later in the season, even if there is early irrigation or rainfall. Early spring sowing substantially increased root production, shoot dry matter and seed yields. In other shallow-rooting species grown in similar soils and climates, seed yields will probably benefit from increased root growth into the subsoil, provided harvest index remains stable.
Published Version
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