Effect of mini-plug container depth on root and shoot growth of four forest tree species during early developmental stages

Κωστοπούλου, Π.; Radoglou, K.; Papanastasi, Olympia Dini

doi:10.3906/tar-1104-11

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…We investigated the utility of EcoFABs as a possible alternative to conventional containers such as pots and tubes in studying the spatial microbial biogeography of the rhizosphere. Although, studies have shown that container design parameters such as size, density, depth can affect root growth and basic plant physiological traits during early developmental stages [5][6][7][8][9], our study in stark contrast, showed that EcoFABs had no significant impact on phenotypic plant growth.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

“…As a result, capturing the effect of spatial differences along the roots is much unexplored, causing a gap in understanding how these differences impact microbial assembly in the rhizoplane. Furthermore, while few studies in the past have demonstrated influence of plant growth container type on plant morphology [5][6][7][8][9], direct impacts of growth containers on the rhizosphere microbiome is relatively unexplored. Complex biochemical processes and interactions occur in microscale dimensions surrounding the root as outlined above.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fine scale sampling reveals spatial heterogeneity of rhizosphere microbiome in youngBrachypodiumplants

Acharya

Diamond

Andeer

et al. 2023

Preprint

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For a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the diversity, composition and function of rhizosphere microbiomes, we need to focus at the scale of individual roots in standardized growth containers. Root exudation patterns are known to vary across distinct parts of the root giving rise to spatially distinct microbial niches. To address this, we analyzed microbial community from two spatially distinct zones of the primary root (the tip vs. the base) in Brachypodium distachyon, grown in natural soil using standardized fabricated ecosystems known as EcoFABs as well as in more conventional pot and tubes. 16S rRNA based community analysis showed a stronger rhizosphere effect in the root base vs. bulk soil compared to the root tips vs. bulk soil, resulting in an enrichment of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, few OTUs belonging to less characterized lineages such as Verrucomicrobia and Acidobacteria. While the microbial community distributions are similar across growth containers, the EcoFAB displayed higher replicate reproducibility. Genome-resolved and bulk metagenomics revealed that genes associated with transcriptional regulation, transport of nutrients and catabolic enzymes indicating active metabolism, biofilm formation and root colonization were enriched in root tips. On the other hand, genes associated with nutrient-limitation and environmental stress were prominent in the bulk soil compared to the root tips, implying the presence of easily available, labile carbon and nutrients in the rhizosphere relative to bulk soil. Such insights into the relationships between root structure, exudation and microbial communities are critical for developing understanding of plant-microbe interactions.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine scale sampling reveals spatial heterogeneity of rhizosphere microbiome in youngBrachypodiumplants

Acharya

Diamond

Andeer

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…However, choosing the tube volume is relevant, once larger tubes occupy more space in the nursery and require a greater amount of substrate, which may contribute to increase the final cost of production (Kostopoulou et al, 2011;Lisboa et al, 2012). Thus, the type of substrate associated with small dimensions may result in lower availability of water and nutrients and, consequently, less growth of seedlings.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substrates and Container Size on Quality of Peltophorum dubium Seedlings

et al. 2020

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This study aims to evaluate the effect of substrates and container content on growth and quality of Peltophorum dubium seedlings. The design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement (2 × 9), with two containers sizes (125 cm 3 and 280 cm 3 ) and nine substrates formulated from the mixture of subsoil (S), vermicompost (V) and commercial substrate (CS), in the following proportions (v:v): S 100 , V 100 , CS 100 , S 75 + V 25 , S 50 + V 50 , S 25 + V 75 , CS 75 + V 25 , CS 50 + V 50 and CS 25 + V 75 , with nine replicates. We assessed seedling height, stem diameter, root and shoot dry matter, height/shoot dry matter ratio; Dickson quality index; and percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in the shoot. The use of the 125 cm 3 dibble tube containing 100% vermicompost allowed for higher quality of Peltophorum dubium seedlings.

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“…Studies have shown that nursery practices are considered to have a major influence on seedling quality during the nursery or hardening phase of the seedlings, and these qualities are likely to be maintained in the early establishment phase in the field [8,9]. One of the reported determinants of seedling quality is the container characteristics, which affect the morpho-physiological characteristics of the roots [9][10][11]. Specifically, container depth influences water holding capacity, humidity, temperature, and aeration, and is thereby considered an important factor determining root architecture and phenology [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Deep Container and Heterogeneous Substrate as Potentially Effective Nursery Practice to Produce Good Quality Nodal Seedlings of Populus sibirica Tausch

Park

Han

Hernandez

et al. 2021

Forests

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Nursery practices are considered major factors influencing seedling quality, which are likely to be maintained in the early establishment phase in the field. Here, we investigated the effects of container depth and substrate heterogeneity on the growth of Populus sibirica nodal seedlings to suggest an effective nursery practice for producing quality seedlings appropriate for forest establishment in a dry environment. We used two substrate heterogeneities (homogeneous and heterogeneous) and two container depth treatments (30 and 60 cm). Variations in root collar diameter (RCD) growth, height growth, stem and root biomass, root to stem ratio, and root mass in the first 15 cm depth from the soil surface across the treatments were computed. Results revealed that both substrate heterogeneity and container depth had no significant effects on the RCD and height growth of P. sibirica seedlings but significantly improved their root and stem biomass. Seedlings in the 60 cm containers generally accumulated higher root biomass than those in the 30 cm containers. There was an interaction effect of container depth and substrate heterogeneity treatments on root and total dry mass, such that seedlings grown in the 60 cm container using heterogeneous substrate resulted in the highest root and total biomass. Analyses of proportional root growth in the upper 15 cm of the containers compared to the total indicated that both the main effects of deeper containers (60 cm) and heterogeneous substrate have fewer roots at this depth, indicating a greater root density in the bottom of the deeper containers. Therefore, deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate may be used as an effective nursery practice to produce seedlings with root traits potentially suitable for harsh conditions, such as arid and semi-arid environments. However, further studies using other seedling morphological traits in conjunction with field-trial tests are needed for a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate in producing good quality seedlings potentially suitable in a dry environment.

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Effect of mini-plug container depth on root and shoot growth of four forest tree species during early developmental stages

Cited by 12 publications

References 28 publications

Fine scale sampling reveals spatial heterogeneity of rhizosphere microbiome in youngBrachypodiumplants

Fine scale sampling reveals spatial heterogeneity of rhizosphere microbiome in youngBrachypodiumplants

Substrates and Container Size on Quality of Peltophorum dubium Seedlings

The Use of Deep Container and Heterogeneous Substrate as Potentially Effective Nursery Practice to Produce Good Quality Nodal Seedlings of Populus sibirica Tausch

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