Interactive effects of soil temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide and soil N on root development, biomass and nutrient uptake of winter wheat during vegetative growth

Nutrient requirements for plant growth are expected to rise in response to the predicted changes in CO(2) and temperature. In this context, little attention has been paid to the effects of soil temperature, which limits plant growth at early stages in temperate regions. A factorial growth-room experiment was conducted with winter wheat, varying soil temperature (10 degrees C and 15 degrees C), atmospheric CO(2) concentration (360 and 700 ppm), and N supply (low and high). The hypothesis was that soil temperature would modify root development, biomass allocation and nutrient uptake during vegetative growth and that its effects would interact with atmospheric CO(2) and N availability. Soil temperature effects were confirmed for most of the variables measured and 3-factor interactions were observed for root development, plant biomass components, N-use efficiency, and shoot P content. Importantly, the soil temperature effects were manifest in the absence of any change in air temperature. Changes in root development, nutrient uptake and nutrient-use efficiencies were interpreted as counterbalancing mechanisms for meeting nutrient requirements for plant growth in each situation. Most variables responded to an increase in resource availability in the order: N supply >soil temperature >CO(2).