Testing the influence of root temperature on plant growth and food quality of horticulture crops

Testing the influence of root temperature on plant growth and food quality of horticulture crops
Shoot and root biomass measured as dry weight of barley plants grown at different temperature treatments for 30 d. Pots were exposed to constant temperatures (10, 15 or 20 °C), or a temperature gradient from 20 °C at the top and 10 °C at the bottom. Air temperature was the same for all treatments. Arithmetic means and standard errors of the mean are shown: n=8. From Füllner et al., 2012.

Research activities conducted at IBG-2 have shown that plant growth and tissue compositions are strongly modified when roots are (1) in substrates with different temperature to the temperature of the shoot and (2) in a substrate exposed to vertical temperature gradients compared to uniform root temperatures.

This was conducted in barley and in lettuce. Vertical root temperature gradients appeared to increase allocation of carbon and nitrogen to shoots in barley. By cooling the roots, lettuce leaves were crisper and showed differences in soluble carbohydrates and mineral content.

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Last Modified: 04.11.2022