Abstract
Abstract Deficient soil aeration that causes hypoxia of maize roots frequently decreases plant biomass production. Characterizing relationships among maize physiological responses to varying levels of root hypoxia is critical to predicting maize plant biomass production. Maize seedlings 12 days old were subjected to increasing root hypoxia over a 12 day period by increasing soil water content in 0.06–0.07 m 3 m −3 intervals up to soil saturation. Soil hypoxia conditions were characterized by measuring air-filled porosity (Eg), oxygen diffusion rate (ODR), and redox potential (Eh). The objective of the study was to verify the hypothesis that some physiological parameters can be used to relate levels of soil hypoxia to biomass production. It was found that soil hypoxia caused a decrease of shoot and root biomass, and diminuished the content of leaf protein, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and malondialdehyde (MDA). An increase, due to hypoxia, was observed in the case of stomatal diffusive resistance (Rd) during the entire stress period and of leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity after 8 and 12 days. The SOD activity in the roots increased after 2 and 8 days of hypoxia and decreased after 12 days. The results confirm the hypothesis that the shoot physiological parameters of maize plants can be used to relate varying levels of soil hypoxia to biomass production. The most promising seems to be Rd and SOD activity. The best indicator of the soil aeration status appeared to be ODR.
Published Version
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