Effect of soil water content on the gravitropic behavior of nodal roots in maize

Abstract

The direction of root growth is an important factor that determines the spatial distribution of roots in the soil. The influence of soil water content on the direction of growth of maize nodal roots was studied both in the field and in the greenhouse. In the field experiment, the one plot was regularly irrigated (I-plot) and the other non-irrigated (N-plot). In the greenhouse experiment, three water treatments were conducted on plants grown in pots: continuously wet (CW), early drying (ED), and late drying (LD). The direction of root growth was quantified by the angle from the vertical, measured at 1 cm intervals for 10 cm from the first five internodes. Nodal roots grew more vertically in the N-plot and ED treatment than those in the I-plot and CW treatment. This was due to the decrease of the initial angle and/or the liminal angle. It is therefore thought that two events regulate the growth direction of nodal roots under dry soil conditions: gravitropic bending at root emergence from the stem and the later establishment of the angle of growth. Nodal roots appearing after rewatering in the ED treatment grew in a similar direction as those in the CW treatment. It follows from this that the water content of the surrounding soil has a direct effect on the direction of growth. Nodal roots that emerged in rapidly drying soil in the LD treatment ceased growing after showing negative gravitropism. The possible mechanisms determining the growth direction of nodal roots in drier soils are discussed.