Structural and Functional Organization of the Root System: A Comparative Study on Five Plant Species

Adriano Sofo,Ippolito Camele,Hazem S Elshafie

doi:10.3390/plants9101338

Abstract

Plants are affected by soil environments to the same extent that they affect soil functioning through interactions between environmental and genetic factors. Here, five plant species (broad bean, pea, cabbage, fennel, and olive) grown under controlled pot conditions were tested for their ability to differently stimulate the degradation of standard litter. Litter, soil C and N contents were measured for evaluating chemical changes due to plant presence, while soil microbial abundance was evaluated to assess if it had a positive or negative catalyzing influence on litter decomposition. The architecture and morphological traits of roots systems were also evaluated by using specific open-source software (SmartRoot). Soil chemical and microbiological characteristics were significantly influenced by the plant species. Variations in soil C/N dynamics were correlated with the diversity of root traits among species. Early stage decomposition of the standard litter changed on the basis of the plant species. The results indicated that key soil processes are governed by interactions between plant roots, soil C and N, and the microbial metabolism that stimulate decomposition reactions. This, in turn, can have marked effects on soil chemical and microbiological fertility, both fundamental for sustaining crops, and can promote the development of new approaches for optimizing soil C and N cycling, managing nutrient transport, and sustaining and improving net primary production.

Highlights

Plants are affected to the same extent that they affect soil systems through interactions between environmental and genetic factors [1,2,3]
The main root/shoot length was comparable in pea and fennel, while the highest value was found in cabbage (0.96 cm) (Table S1)
A very different root morphology was found in broad bean and pea, compared to cabbage (Table S1 and Figure S2)

Summary

Introduction

Plants are affected to the same extent that they affect soil systems through interactions between environmental and genetic factors [1,2,3]. Plant traits have profound effects on soil fertility, net primary productivity, soil decomposition processes, soil nutrient cycling, and soil organic matter (SOM). Litter abundance and type have a significant role in seedling recruitment and can provoke the abundance of some plant species instead of others, determining plant species composition [6,7,8]. The diverse chemical composition of litter is a potentially important functional trait affecting its decomposition. Litter composition has relevant effects on soil organisms, with different litter types promoting different subsets of soil microflora and fauna, and different litter decomposition rates [9,10,11,12]. The root system architecture (growth, development, and density) and chemical composition of root exudates cause changes in the soil physicochemical properties, the composition of soil microbial communities, and litter

Methods

Results

Conclusion