Summary
Fine-root density in a mature cacao plantation in Bahia/Brazil was monitored at weekly intervals from October, 1980 until March, 1981. About 40 g m−2 of fine roots (diameter<1 mm) were found during this period. The relative stability of this value over the six months period contrasted with significant changes in the number of growing root tips per unit of soil volume. These changes were not conditioned by the rainfall pattern although low root tip values were counted at the end of a minor drought period. A significant negative correlation was found between a shoot growth flush in January and the activity of the fine-root systems as measured by the number of new root tips.
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Kummerow, J., Kummerow, M. & Souza da Silva, W. Fine-root growth dynamics in cacao (Theobroma cacao). Plant Soil 65, 193–201 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374650
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374650