Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Shoot growth, root growth and resource capture under limiting water and N supply for two cultivars of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims

To improve vegetable crops adapted to low input and variable resource availability, better understanding is needed of root system functioning, including nitrogen and water capture.

Methods

This study quantified shoot and root development and patterns of water and nitrate capture of two lettuce cultivars subjected to temporary drought at two development stages (Trial 1) or to continuous, localized drought and/or nitrate shortage (Trial 2).

Results

In Trial 1, early drought slowed down shoot and root growth, whereas late drought enhanced root proliferation in the top 0.1 m. Nitrate capture during drought was sustained by increased nitrate inflow from deeper layers. Plants did not recover fully from drought after re-watering. In Trial 2, root proliferation was stimulated in the drier soil compartment partially compensating reduced water availability and nitrate mobility. Under nitrate shortage, root proliferation was enhanced in the compartment where nitrate was more abundant, irrespective of water availability.

Conclusions

Changes observed in the root system are ‘feed-forward’ mechanisms to sustain resource capture in a limiting growing environment. The type of stress (drought or nitrate shortage) affects coping strategies; nitrate concentration in the soil solution, combined with the nutritional status of the plant will determine the stress response.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

Abbreviations

DST:

Drought Stress applied in the Top compartment

DST + NSB:

Drought Stress applied in the Top compartment combined with Nutrient Stress applied in the Bottom compartment

DW:

Dry Weight (g)

ED:

Early Drought

FW:

Fresh Weight (g)

L:

Litre

LD:

Late Drought

NST:

Nutrient Stress applied in the Top compartment

NST + DSB:

Nutrient Stress applied in the Top compartment combined with Drought Stress applied in the Bottom compartment

NUE:

Nitrogen Use Efficiency (g DM g−1 N per plant)

QTL:

Quantitative Trait Loci

SLA:

Specific Leaf Area (m2 g−1)

LA:

Total Leaf Area (m2 per plant)

TLN:

Total Leaf Number per plant

TRL:

Total Root Length per plant

WUE:

Water Use Efficiency (g DM L−1 water)

References

  • Burns IG (1980) Influence of the spatial distribution of nitrate on the uptake of N by plants: a review and a model for rooting depth. J Soil Sci 31:155–173

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dufault RJ, Ward B, Hassel RL (2009) Dynamic relationships between field temperatures and romaine lettuce yield and head quality. Sci Hortic 120:452–459

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunbabin VM, Airey M, Diggle AJ, Renton M, Rengel Z, Armstrong R, Chen Y, Siddique KHM (2011) Simulating the interaction between plant roots, soil water and nutrient flows, and barriers and objects in soil using ROOTMAP. In: Chan F, Marinova D, Anderssen RS (eds) Proceedings of the 19th international congress on modelling and simulation—sustaining our future: understanding and living with uncertainty (MODSIM2011). Western Australia: ISBN 9-78-098721431-7, 1652–1658, Perth

    Google Scholar 

  • Forde B, Lorenzo H (2001) The nutritional control of root development. Plant Soil 232:51–68

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Franco JA, Bañón S, Vicente MJ, Miralles J, Martínez-Sànchez JJ (2011) Root development in horticultural plants grown under abiotic stress conditions – a review. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 86:543–556

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallardo M, Jackson LE, Thompson RB (1996) Shoot and root physiological responses to localized zones of soil moisture in cultivated and wild lettuce (Lactuca spp.). Plant Cell Environ 19:1169–1178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge A (2004) The plastic plant: root responses to heterogeneous supplies of nutrients. New Phytol 162:9–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis NJ (1989) A simple empirical model of root water uptake. J Hydrol 10:57–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson LR (1983) Nitrate uptake and respiration in roots and shoots: a model. Plantum 58:145–147

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson WC, Jackson LE, Ochoa O, van Wijk R, Peleman J, St. Clair DA, Michelmore RW (2000) Lettuce, a shallow-rooted crop, and Lactuca serriola, its wild progenitor, differ at QTL determining root architecture and deep soil water exploitation. Theor Appl Genet 101:1066–1073

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kitano H (2007) Towards a theory of biological robustness. Mol Syst Biol 3:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lammerts Van Bueren ET, Struik PC, Jacobsen E (2002) Ecological concepts in organic farming and their consequences for an organic crop ideotype. NJAS—Wagening J Life Sci 50:1–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch J, Brown K (2012) New roots for agriculture—exploiting the root phenome. Phil Trans R Soc 367:1598–1604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller AJ, Cramer MD (2005) Root nitrogen acquisition and assimilation. Plant Soil 274:1–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mingo DA, Theobald JC, Bacon MA, Davies WJ, Dodd IC (2004) Biomass allocation in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants grown under partial rootzone drying: enhancement of root growth. Funct Plant Biol 31:971–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (1994) The responses of plants to non-uniform supplies of nutrients. New Phytol 127:635–674

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (1996) Variation, coordination and compensation in root system in relation to soil variability. Plant Soil 187:57–66

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson D (2001) Root proliferation, nitrate inflow and their carbon costs during nitrogen capture by competing plants in patchy soil. Plant Soil 232:41–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze E-D (1994) The regulation of plant transpiration: interactions of feed-forward, feedback, and futile cycles. In: Schulze E-D (ed) Flux control in biological systems: from enzymes to populations and ecosystems. Academic Press Inc, San Diego, ISBN 0-12-633070-0, 203–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuuren MMI, Robinson D, Griffiths BS (1996) Nutrient inflow and root proliferation during the exploitation of a temporally and spatially discrete source of nitrogen in soil. Plant Soil 178:185–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witcombe JR, Hollington PA, Howarth CJ, Reader S, Steele KA (2008) Breeding for abiotic stresses for sustainable agriculture. Phil Trans R Soc B: Biol Sci 363:703–716

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu FZ, Bao WK, Li FL, Wu N (2008) Effects of drought stress and N supply on the growth, biomass partitioning and water-use efficiency of Sophoradavidii seedlings. Environ Exp Bot 63:248–255

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Martin Koper, Enza Zaden BV, and Jan Velema, Marcel van Diemen and Pieter Schwegman, Vitalis BV, for providing seeds, advice and insight. The project was financially supported through the Top Institute Green Genetics.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    P. J. Kerbiriou & E. T. Lammerts Van Bueren

  2. Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    P. J. Kerbiriou, T. J. Stomph, P. E. L. Van Der Putten & P. C. Struik

Authors
  1. P. J. Kerbiriou
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. J. Stomph
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. E. L. Van Der Putten
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. T. Lammerts Van Bueren
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. C. Struik
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. J. Kerbiriou.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philip John White.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kerbiriou, P.J., Stomph, T.J., Van Der Putten, P.E.L. et al. Shoot growth, root growth and resource capture under limiting water and N supply for two cultivars of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Plant Soil 371, 281–297 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1672-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1672-6

Keywords