Abstract
Abstract Extensive branching patterns of roots and the maintenance of adequate water within shoots enables plants to overcome water stress. However, information on the relationship between fertilizer potassium, root branching patterns and shoot water potentials of food legumes grown under different soil moisture regimes is scarce. Thus, an experiment was conducted in a phytotron to ascertain the effect of fertilizer potassium on root branching patterns and shoot water potentials of a popular tropical food legumes (Frenchbeans Phaseolus vulgaris L). The plants were grown in a sand medium with 0.1, 0.8 or 3.0 mM of potassium under a suboptimal and optima) soil moisture regime. Root lengths and dry weights were enhanced by potassium, especially under a suboptimal soil moisture regime. The branching patterns changed due to potassium, where the numbers of second and third order roots increased under both soil moisture regimes, although the impact was greater in plants grown with low soil moisture. Plant water contents measured in terms of shoot water potential, relative water contents, rurgid weight: dry weight ratio and water uptake capacity were also increased by potassium. A positive relationship was observed between root branching patterns and water potentials with increasing potassium levels especially in plants grown under suboptimal soil moisture conditions. Shoot growth and nodulation was also promoted by potassium. The ability of plants to develop a more extensive branching pattern of roots by inducing a greater number of second and third order roots and changing the root branching habit from a herringbone to a dichotomous type to maintain a greater shoot water potential especially under low soil moisture regimes is presented.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium enhanced root length and dry weight, especially under suboptimal moisture.
- Taxon
- French Beans
Phaseolus vulgarist0 - Treatment
- potassiume0
- Outcome
- Root lengths and dry weightse0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- especially under a suboptimal soil moisture regimee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“Root lengths and dry weights were enhanced by potassium, especially under a suboptimal soil moisture regime.”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium increased second- and third-order root numbers under both moisture regimes, more under low moisture.
- Taxon
- French BeansPhaseolus vulgarist0
- Outcome
- numbers of second and third order rootse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- impact was greater in plants grown with low soil moisturee0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“the numbers of second and third order roots increased under both soil moisture regimes, although the impact was greater in plants grown with low soil moisture”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium increased shoot water potential, relative water content, turgid-to-dry weight ratio and water uptake capacity.
- Taxon
- French BeansPhaseolus vulgarist0
- Treatment
- potassiume0
- Outcome
- shoot water potential, relative water contents, rurgid weight: dry weight ratio and water uptake capacitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“Plant water contents measured in terms of shoot water potential, relative water contents, rurgid weight: dry weight ratio and water uptake capacity were also increased by potassium.”
Claim · model-written summary
Root branching and water potential were positively related as potassium increased, especially at suboptimal moisture.
- Taxon
- French BeansPhaseolus vulgarist0
- Treatment
- increasing potassium levelse0
- Outcome
- root branching patterns and water potentialse0
- Direction
- positivee0
- Qualifier
- especially in plants grown under suboptimal soil moisture conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“A positive relationship was observed between root branching patterns and water potentials with increasing potassium levels especially in plants grown under suboptimal soil moisture conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium promoted shoot growth and nodulation.
- Taxon
- French BeansPhaseolus vulgarist0
- Treatment
- potassiume0
- Outcome
- Shoot growth and nodulatione0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“Shoot growth and nodulation was also promoted by potassium.”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium shifted root branching from herringbone to dichotomous form under low moisture.
- Taxon
- French BeansPhaseolus vulgarist0
- Outcome
- a dichotomous typee0
- Qualifier
- especially under low soil moisture regimese0
- Comparator
- a herringbonee0
Not reportedTreatmentDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)”
e0“changing the root branching habit from a herringbone to a dichotomous type to maintain a greater shoot water potential especially under low soil moisture regimes”
The same questions in other papers
potassium · growth · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Positive and negative results
15 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
13 papers more in this group
See all 17 papers →potassium · symbiosis · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
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.