Premium
Root–soil friction: quantification provides evidence for measurable benefits for manipulation of root‐tip traits
Author(s) -
MCKENZIE BLAIR M.,
MULLINS CHRISTOPHER E.,
TISDALL JUDITH M.,
BENGOUGH A. GLYN
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12037
Subject(s) - root (linguistics) , plant root , penetration (warfare) , plant roots , soil science , environmental science , materials science , biology , botany , mathematics , philosophy , linguistics , operations research
To penetrate soil, a root requires pressure to expand the cavity it is to occupy and to overcome root‐soil friction. We quantified these two pressures and showed that the root‐soil friction can be a substantial component of root penetration resistance. This provides evidence suggesting that modifying root‐tip traits has potential to improve plant performance.