Abstract
Maintenance respiration is often considered to be a constant under constant temperature conditions. Here we report on two independent observations that cause us to question this assumption. Respiratory requirements of detached root segments from apple trees decreased with age. Respiration after a dark-decay period was lower for citrus roots in droughted surface soil than for similar roots in irrigated soil. Although we are well aware of the limitations with respect to interpreting these observations in terms of maintenance respiration, it is our opinion that present observations indicates that we need to re-think the methods by which root respiration and its maintenance component are commonly being studied. Based on present observations, we propose that (i) specific respiration for maintenance is not constant, (ii) the population of fine roots should not be regarded as one entity and (iii) root respiration needs to be studied on individual roots to improve understanding of physiological responses to changes in the soil environment.
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Bouma, T.J., Bryla, D., Li, Y., Eissenstat, D.M. (2000). Is maintenance respiration in roots a constant?. In: Stokes, A. (eds) The Supporting Roots of Trees and Woody Plants: Form, Function and Physiology. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 87. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3469-1_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3469-1_38
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