Abstract
Spatial and temporal distribution of roots of mung bean and soybean originated from different geographical backgrounds is an important scientific issue. The aim of this study was to research the spatial and temporal distribution of roots system of soybean cultivar ‘Hefeng55’ and mung bean cultivar ‘Jilv7’ which can elucidate differences between soybean roots and mung bean roots in the key spatial and temporal locations. The roots at V6, R2, R4, R5, R6, and R7 stages were collected to acquire data of root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight. 49.8%, 11.7%, 13.2%, 14.7% and 10.6% of soybean roots and 57.8%, 10.7%, 11.2%, 11.9% and 8.4% of mung bean roots were in 0-5, 5-10, 10-15, 15-20 and 20-25 cm horizontal soil layers, respectively; 79.2%, 11.5%, 4.3%, 1.8%, 1.1%, 1.0% and 1.1% of soybean roots and 70.0%, 12.3%, 8.0%, 3.0%, 1.6%, 1.7% and 3.4% of mung bean roots were in 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100, 100-120 and 120-140 cm vertical soil layers, respectively. Compared with mung bean, soybean had a much larger root system during development. In horizontal direction, soybean root tended to be more laterally developed, but the distribution of mung bean root was more uniform in vertical direction. With a greater root surface area to weight ratio (AWR), mung bean had a finer root system than soybean. These findings can help to clarify the four-dimensional spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of legumes and may provide reference for production practice of soybean and mung bean in the future.
Highlights
Roots are an important organ of plants (Fang, 2011) which determines the ability of plants to absorb water and nutrients (Vamerali et al, 2003; Ehdaie et al, 2010)
The roots at V6, R2, R4, R5, R6, and R7 stages were collected to acquire data of root length, root surface area, root volume and root dry weight. 49.8%, 11.7%, 13.2%, 14.7% and 10.6% of soybean roots and 57.8%, 10.7%, 11.2%, 11.9% and 8.4% of mung bean roots were in 0-5, 5-10, 10-15, 15-20 and 20-25 cm horizontal soil layers, respectively; 79.2%, 11.5%, 4.3%, 1.8%, 1.1%, 1.0% and 1.1% of soybean roots and 70.0%, 12.3%, 8.0%, 3.0%, 1.6%, 1.7% and 3.4% of mung bean roots were in 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, 80-100, 100-120 and 120-140 cm vertical soil layers, respectively
Both soybean and mung bean had the largest proportion of root length in 15-20 cm soil layer followed by 10-15, 20-25 and 5-10 cm soil layers, and the minimum proportion of root length was found in 0-5 cm soil layer
Summary
Roots are an important organ of plants (Fang, 2011) which determines the ability of plants to absorb water and nutrients (Vamerali et al, 2003; Ehdaie et al, 2010). Roots of different crops have different distribution characteristics (Lynch, 1995; Benjamin and Nielsen, 2006). Comparing the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of different crops’ roots is beneficial to research the root structure differences and the adaptability of root systems to the soil environment among different crops (Gan, 2009; Fan et al, 2016). The distribution characteristic of roots is the basic attribute during plant development (Atta et al, 2013). Pulses tend to have larger root volumes; this may better facilitate moisture absorption and transport to Received: 09 Jan 2020. Received in revised form: 18 Jun 2020.
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