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Winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots, is this important for N uptake and N leaching losses?

Winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots, is this important for N uptake and N... Cropping systems comprising winter catch crops followed by spring wheat could reduce N leaching risks compared to traditional winter wheat systems in humid climates. We studied the soil mineral N (N inorg ) and root growth of winter– and spring wheat to 2.5 m depth during 3 years. The roots of the winter and spring wheat penetrated the soil at a similar rate (1.3 mm o C day −1 ) and by virtue of its longer growing period, winter wheat reached depths of 2.2 m, twice that of spring wheat (1.1 m). The deeper rooting of winter wheat was related to much lower amounts of N inorg left in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after winter wheat (81 kg N inorg ha −1 less). When growing winter catch crops before spring wheat, N content in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after spring wheat was not different from that after winter wheat. The results suggest that due to its deep rooting, winter wheat may not lead to as high levels of leaching as it is often assumed in humid climates. Deep soil and root measurements (below 1 m) in this experiment were essential to answer the questions we posed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Plant and Soil Springer Journals

Winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots, is this important for N uptake and N leaching losses?

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References (39)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Subject
Life Sciences; Ecology; Plant Physiology; Soil Science & Conservation ; Plant Sciences
ISSN
0032-079X
eISSN
1573-5036
DOI
10.1007/s11104-009-9898-z
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Cropping systems comprising winter catch crops followed by spring wheat could reduce N leaching risks compared to traditional winter wheat systems in humid climates. We studied the soil mineral N (N inorg ) and root growth of winter– and spring wheat to 2.5 m depth during 3 years. The roots of the winter and spring wheat penetrated the soil at a similar rate (1.3 mm o C day −1 ) and by virtue of its longer growing period, winter wheat reached depths of 2.2 m, twice that of spring wheat (1.1 m). The deeper rooting of winter wheat was related to much lower amounts of N inorg left in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after winter wheat (81 kg N inorg ha −1 less). When growing winter catch crops before spring wheat, N content in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after spring wheat was not different from that after winter wheat. The results suggest that due to its deep rooting, winter wheat may not lead to as high levels of leaching as it is often assumed in humid climates. Deep soil and root measurements (below 1 m) in this experiment were essential to answer the questions we posed.

Journal

Plant and Soil – Springer Journals

Published: Sep 1, 2009

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