Abstract
Young maize plants have been grown for two weeks on a perlite/sand mixture under controlled high light conditions at two suboptimal nitrogen levels. The relationships between [1] root dry weight (RDW) and dry weight of the total plants, [2] RDW and total root length (TRL), and [3] TRL and daily N-uptake during the two weeks were different for the two N-levels. In contrast, the relationships between [4] the N-concentrations in shoots (NCS) and in total plants, [5] shoot dry weight and leaf area, and [6] NCS and net assimilation rate (NAR) were similar at both N-levels. Mathematical descriptions of the six experimentally derived relationships were combined in a growth model. Varying relation [1] in the model allowed predictions about the effect of different shoot/root ratio (SRR) on growth. Both experimentally observed SRR-relations were nearly optimal for the respective N-levels. Therefore,the SRR established by the plants was close to the ’functional equilibrium’ proposed for root and shoot growth.
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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Findenegg, G.R. (1990). Effect of varied shoot/root ratio on growth of maize (Zea mays) under nitrogen-limited conditions: Growth experiment and model calculations. In: van Beusichem, M.L. (eds) Plant Nutrition — Physiology and Applications. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 41. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0585-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0585-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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