Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were grown in either a glasshouse (GH) or a controlled environment cabinet (CEC) to assess the effects of partial rootzone drying (PRD) on biomass allocation. Control and PRD plants received the same amounts of water. In control plants, water was equally distributed between two compartments of a split-root system. In PRD plants, only one compartment was watered while the other was allowed to dry. At the end of each drying cycle, wet and dry compartments were alternated. In the GH, total biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants after four cycles of PRD, but PRD increased root biomass by 55% as resources were partitioned away from shoot organs. In the CEC, leaf water potential did not differ between treatments at the end of either of two cycles of PRD, but stomatal conductance of PRD plants was 20% less at the end of the first cycle than at the beginning. After two cycles of PRD in the CEC, biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants, but PRD increased root biomass by 19% over the control plants. The promotion of root biomass in PRD plants was associated with the alternation of wet and dry compartments, with increased root biomass occurring in the re-watered compartment after previous exposure to soil drying. Promotion of root biomass in field-grown PRD plants may allow the root system to access resources (water and nutrients) that would otherwise be unavailable to control plants. This may contribute to the ability of PRD plants to maintain similar leaf water potentials to conventionally irrigated plants, even when smaller irrigation volumes are supplied.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Glasshouse total biomass did not differ after four PRD cycles.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- total biomasse0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Qualifier
- after four cycles of PRDe0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
- Setting
- GHe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the GH, total biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants after four cycles of PRD”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Glasshouse PRD increased root biomass 55%.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- root biomasse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 55%e0
- Comparator
- control plantse1
- Setting
- GHe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PRD increased root biomass by 55% as resources were partitioned away from shoot organs”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
e1“In the GH, total biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants after four cycles of PRD”
Claim · model-written summary
CEC leaf water potential did not differ after either PRD cycle.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- leaf water potentiale0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- treatmentse0
- Setting
- CECe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the CEC, leaf water potential did not differ between treatments at the end of either of two cycles of PRD”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
PRD stomatal conductance was 20% lower at the end than start of the first CEC cycle.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- lesse0
- Value
- 20%e0
- Comparator
- at the beginninge0
- Setting
- CECe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“stomatal conductance of PRD plants was 20% less at the end of the first cycle than at the beginning”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
e1“In the CEC, leaf water potential did not differ between treatments at the end of either of two cycles of PRD”
Claim · model-written summary
CEC biomass did not differ after two cycles.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- biomasse0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
- Setting
- CECe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“After two cycles of PRD in the CEC, biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
CEC PRD raised root biomass 19% above controls.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- PRDe0
- Outcome
- root biomasse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 19%e0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
- Setting
- CECe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PRD increased root biomass by 19% over the control plants”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
e1“In the CEC, leaf water potential did not differ between treatments at the end of either of two cycles of PRD”
Claim · model-written summary
Root biomass promotion was associated with alternating wet and dry compartments.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- alternation of wet and dry compartmentse0
- Outcome
- promotion of root biomasse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The promotion of root biomass in PRD plants was associated with the alternation of wet and dry compartments”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Root biomass rose in rewatered compartments following soil drying.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- previous exposure to soil dryinge0
- Outcome
- root biomasse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- re-watered compartmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased root biomass occurring in the re-watered compartment after previous exposure to soil drying”
t0“Tomato”
t1“Tomato”
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See all 66 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.