Conclusions
The experimental results presented show that within the intact plant growing undisturbed a serious competition exists between various root members. When as a consequence of partial derooting or local inhibitory treatments shoot growth is not affected the remaining root members compensate completely for the reduction elsewhere. Competition for a limited supply of carbohydrates covers most of the observations [1]. However, since it has been shown that with the phloem stream various hormones are transported to the roots, some of which may affect root growth [4, 5], the ultimate solution needs additional experimentation [10]. In case of the differences in the rate of root elongation in nitrogen deficient plants and in plants well-supplied with nitrogen, the higher auxin content in the latter may be responsible for the lower elongation rate [5].
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Brouwer, R. Co-ordination of growth phenomena within a root system of intact maize plants. Plant Soil 63, 65–72 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374258
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374258