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The effects of elevated CO 2 concentrations on the root growth of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens grown in a FACE* system
Author(s) -
JONGEN MARJAN,
JONES MIKE B.,
HEBEISEN THOMAS,
BLUM HERBERT,
HENDREY GEORGE
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.1995.tb00034.x
Subject(s) - lolium perenne , trifolium repens , repens , growing season , nutrient , agronomy , nitrogen , biology , root system , chemistry , botany , poaceae , ecology , organic chemistry
Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens were grown in a Free Air CO 2 Enrichment (FACE) system at elevated (600 μimol mol‐ 1 ) and ambient (340 μmol mol‐ 1 ) carbon dioxide concentrations during a whole growing season. Using a root ingrowth bag technique the extent to which CO 2 enrichment influenced the growth of L, perenne and T. repens roots under two contrasting nutrient regimes was examined. Root ingrowth bags were inserted for a fixed time into the soil in order to trap roots. It was also possible to follow the mortality of roots in bags inserted for different time intervals. Root ingrowth of both L. perenne and T. repens increased under elevated CO 2 conditions. In L. perenne , root ingrowth decreased with increasing nutrient fertilizer level, but for T. repens the root ingrowth was not affected by the nutrient application rate. Besides biomass measurements, root length estimates were made for T, repens. These showed an increase under elevated CO 2 concentrations. Root decomposition appeared to decrease under elevated CO 2 concentrations. A possible explanation for this effect is the observed changes in tissue composition, such as the increase in the carbon: nitrogen ratio in roots of L. perenne at elevated CO 2 concentrations.