Summary
Additional aeration increased the growth of both the root and shoot systems, the relative increase depending upon the genetic constitution of the plant. The increase in growth of a particular clone brought about by additional aeration was proportional to its growth without additional aeration. Aeration also increased the plants' Net Assimilation Rate and reduced the proportion of air-space in the tissues of the leaves and particularly of the roots. The growth of the plant was related to the amount of air-space in the roots, whether the plant was receiving additional aeration or not. It is suggested that aeration affects several metabolic processes and that the relative effects vary with the genetic constitution of the plant.
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Troughton, A. The effect of aeration of the nutrient solution on the growth ofLolium perenne . Plant Soil 36, 93–108 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373460
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373460