Marin, M., Hallett, P., Feeney, F.S., Brown, L.K., Naveed, Muhammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0923-4976, Koebernick, N., Ruiz, S., Bengough, A.G., Roose, T. and George, T.S. (2022) Impact of root hairs on microscale soil physical properties in the field. Plant and Soil, 476. pp. 491-509.

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Abstract

Aims
Recent laboratory studies revealed that root hairs may alter soil physical behaviour, influencing soil porosity and water retention on the small scale. However, the results are not consistent, and it is not known if structural changes at the small-scale have impacts at larger scales. Therefore, we evaluated the potential effects of root hairs on soil hydro-mechanical properties in the field using rhizosphere-scale physical measurements.

Methods
Changes in soil water retention properties as well as mechanical and hydraulic characteristics were monitored in both silt loam and sandy loam soils. Measurements were taken from plant establishment to harvesting in field trials, comparing three barley genotypes representing distinct phenotypic categories in relation to root hair length. Soil hardness and elasticity were measured using a 3-mm-diameter spherical indenter, while water sorptivity and repellency were measured using a miniaturized infiltrometer with a 0.4-mm tip radius.

Results
Over the growing season, plants induced changes in the soil water retention properties, with the plant available water increasing by 21%. Both soil hardness (P = 0.031) and elasticity (P = 0.048) decreased significantly in the presence of root hairs in silt loam soil, by 50% and 36%, respectively. Root hairs also led to significantly smaller water repellency (P = 0.007) in sandy loam soil vegetated with the hairy genotype (-49%) compared to the hairless mutant.

Conclusions
Breeding of cash crops for improved soil conditions could be achieved by selecting root phenotypes that ameliorate soil physical properties and therefore contribute to increased soil health.

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1
Subjects:	Construction and engineering > Civil and environmental engineering
Depositing User:	Muhammad Naveed
Date Deposited:	20 Sep 2024 08:04
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2024 09:57
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/12690

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