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Genotypic and Environmental Variation in Nodal Root Growth of Post-rainy Season (Rabi) Sorghum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

P. Soman  and
N. Seetharama
P. Soman
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru PO, Andhra Pradesh 502 324, India
N. Seetharama
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru PO, Andhra Pradesh 502 324, India
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Summary

Rapid initiation and growth of nodal roots (NR) are critical for the establishment of post-rainy season (rabi) sorghums grown in drying soil. The growth of NR was studied in sorghum in the field when sown at different depths in order to vary the crown depth, when different levels of irrigation water were applied to create different moisture contents in the topsoil, and in a number of cultivars to assess genotypic variability. Variation in sowing depth did not result in differences in NR growth, partly because of the capacity of sorghum to vary the mesocotyl length, which brought the crown to approximately the same depth. Different soil moisture levels in the field affected the elongation rate of NR, but not their initiation. Genotypic variation existed in the thermal time required for NR initiation and rate of elongation. The variation in NR growth was independent of the variation in shoot growth. The genotypic variability in NR growth offers an opportunity for combining root-related traits with useful agronomic characters.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , July 1992 , pp. 331 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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