The two-layer hypothesis of tree-grass coexistence posits that trees and grasses differ in rooting depth, with grasses exploiting soil moisture in shallow layers while trees have exclusive access to deep water. The lack of clear differences in maximum rooting depth between these two functional groups, however, has caused this model to fall out of favor. The alternative model, the demographic bo...

Plant rooting depth affects ecosystem resilience to environmental stress such as drought. Deep roots connect deep soil/groundwater to the atmosphere, thus influencing the hydrologic cycle and climate. Deep roots enhance bedrock weathering, thus regulating the long-term carbon cycle. However, we know little about how deep roots go and why. Here, we present a global synthesis of 2,200 root observ...

The design and operation of supplementary irrigation schemes are dependent upon an accurate estimation of the "total available moisture" in the soil. This has been defined as the amount of water held between the limits of field capacity and wilting point in the effective rooting depth of the crop. Under irrigated conditions the effective rooting depth is that depth of soil from which the crop c...

ABSTRACT- A detailed understanding of crop rooting systems will facilitate water use reduction, optimized nutrient uptake and irrigation scheduling more efficiently. A field experiment was conducted during 2005-2006 to investigate sugar beet rooting depth growth, irrigated with three irrigation methods (subsurface drip, surface drip and furrow) and two water qualities (recycled wastewater: EC= ...

Root traits influence the amount of water and nutrient absorption, and are important for maintaining crop yield under drought conditions. The objectives of this research were to characterize variability of root traits among spring wheat genotypes and determine whether root traits are related to shoot traits (plant height, tiller number per plant, shoot dry weight, and coleoptile length), region...

abstract- a detailed understanding of crop rooting systems will facilitate water use reduction, optimized nutrient uptake and irrigation scheduling more efficiently. a field experiment was conducted during 2005-2006 to investigate sugar beet rooting depth growth, irrigated with three irrigation methods (subsurface drip, surface drip and furrow) and two water qualities (recycled wastewater: ec= ...

Variants of the Budkyo hydrological model describe the effects of land use change on annual water yield. A recent modification using a simple process-based ecohydrological model provides insight into the partitioning of rainfall between runoff and evapotranspiration. In particular, the ‘effective vegetation rooting depth’ becomes the single free parameter in the model and can be related to land...

There is convincing evidence for the benefits of deep rooting, especially in relation to drought resistance (Lopes & Reynolds, 2010; Uga et al., 2013). Modelling has shown that greater root depth allows increased water uptake and higher yields (Lilley & Kirkegaard, 2011). Deep rooting is thought to be improved by combinations of traits that confer steeper growth and an ability to penetrate stro...