Sugarcane regrowth is dependent on root system size: an approach using young plants grown in nutrient solution

Abstract

ABSTRACT The root system is essential for sugarcane regrowth and the vigor of ratoon cycles as it represents the unique source of carbon skeletons and energy for the initial plant development. However, root system dynamics after shoot harvesting and its role in sugarcane regrowth remains poorly known. Here, it was hypothesized that sugarcane plants with small volume of root system will accumulate less biomass after shoot harvesting than plants with larger volume and that such regrowth is dependent on root reserves. In sugarcane plants grown in nutrient solution, shoots were cut, and two root treatments were established: reference plants with the entire root system (100%); and plants with half of the root system (50%), randomly removing half of root system. After 37 days of shoot harvesting, plants with the entire root system showed higher shoot, root and total dry mass, root length, root diameter, root area and root volume, when compared with those with 50% of the root system. Sugarcane plants with the entire root system had higher root content of starch, soluble sugar and nonstructural carbohydrates as compared to plants with 50% of the root system. A significant positive correlation was found between the variation of shoot dry mass and the variation of root nonstructural carbohydrates. Interestingly, this data revealed a disproportionate effect of root system size on sugarcane regrowth, with plants with the entire root system accumulating almost three times more biomass than plants with half of the root system during regrowth.