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Elongation and Branching of Roots on Soybean Plants in a Carbon Dioxide-Enriched Aerial Environment

Dep. of Soil Sci., North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC 27695;
USDA/ARS/NRI Systems Res. Lab., Beltsville, MD 20705
Crop Simulation Res. Unit, Mississippi State, MS 39762.
USDA/ARS/NRI Systems Res. Lab., Beltsville, MD 20705

^* Corresponding author.

Plants grown in high CO₂ concentrations ([CO₂]) often have a higher root weight than those grown in low [CO₂]. It is usually assumed that the plants with this extra root weight can explore a greater volume of soil and will, therefore, have more water available to them. To test this assumption, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Forrest] plants were grown in outdoor, sunlit plant-growth chambers in [CO₂] of 330, 450, 600, and 800 µL L^–1 throughout the growing season. The soil containers in the growth chambers had a glass side and new root growth appearing at the glass was measured and marked two or three times each week. Root weight at the end of the season (93 d after emergence) was 26 to 31% higher in [C0₂]-enriched chambers compared with the 330 µL L^–1 treatment, and cumulative root length was approximately proportional to [CO₂]. However, CO₂ treatment did not affect the rate of elongation of individual root axes. Instead, there was a significant linear increase in the number of actively growing roots with increased [CO₂]. Plants grown in 800 µL L^–1 had 65% more actively growing roots than plants grown in 330 µL L^–1. Thus, growing a plant in high [CO₂] enabled it to explore a given volume of soil more thoroughly, but did not increase the volume of soil explored.

Received for publication August 15, 1988.

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