Summary
Seasonal variations in the spatial distribution of root tips were studied in 19 and 29 year old teak plantations, located on red and alluvial soils respectively. The pattern was essentially similar at both sites, but generally the alluvial soil site exhibited a greater number of root tips. Root tips decreased with increasing distance from the tree base. Through-out most of the year the relative distribution of root tips decreased with depth; the difference between 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths was marginal, but 20–40 cm depth contained distinctly fewer root tips. At all distances a similar seasonal trend was noticed, a mid rainy season peak being followed by a steady decline until the dry summer except for an abrupt rise to a smaller peak in February after the winter rains.
The root tip density was positively correlated with the ≤2 mm root biomass and both showed a similar bimodal annual cycle. Of three environmental variables studied, soil moisture and rainfall were significantly positively correlated with root tip densityl the relationship between soil temperature and root tip density was negative and non-significant. The combined effect of soil moisture and temperature on root tip density, evaluated by a multiple regression model, accounted for 80–95% of the variation in root tip density.
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Singh, K.P., Srivastava, S.K. Seasonal variations in the spatial distribution of root tips in teak (Tectonia grandis Linn. f.) plantations in the Varanasi Forest Division, India. Plant Soil 84, 93–104 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02197870
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02197870