BACKGROUND Plant functional traits co-vary along strategy spectra, thereby defining trade-offs for resource acquisition and utilization amongst other processes. A main objective of plant ecology is to quantify the correlations among traits and ask why some of them are sufficiently closely coordinated to form a single axis of functional specialization. However, due to trait co-variations in natu...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Root biomass is an important trait often disregarded in woody perennial selection due to the challenge and expense of accurately and efficiently measuring large populations. In this study, we aim to develop a simple method that can predict root dry weight within a diverse shrub willow (Salix) breeding population representing species hybrids and their parents using root elec...

A heterogeneous distribution of nutrients in the soil and root interactions crops coexist agroecosystems. ‘root splitting’ approach, i.e., splitting system into different nutrient compartments, was used to study heterogeneity distributions interactions. We evaluated foraging behavior, individual growth, development mechanisms response nitrogen heterogeneity, intraspecific competition maize. inc...

In this review, we examine how roots penetrate a structured soil. We first examine the relationship between soil water status and its mechanical strength, as well as the ability of the soil to supply water to the root. We identify these as critical soil factors, because it is primarily in drying soil that mechanical constraints limit root elongation. Water supply to the root is important becaus...