Abstract
Minirhizotrons were used to study root emergence, turnover, and depth distribution of apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.) rootstocks (M.9/MM.111) under four groundcover management systems (GMSs)—pre-emergence herbicide (Pre-H), postemergence herbicide (Post-H), mowed sod grass (Grass), and hardwood bark mulch (Mulch)—that had been maintained since 1992 in an orchard near Ithaca, NY. Two root observation tubes were installed on both sides of one tree in three replicates for each GMS treatment. Roots were observed by camera at 2- to 3-weekly intervals during the growing seasons of 2002 and 2003 and from whole tree excavations in Apr. 2000. Tree growth and yield observations from 1992 to 2003 showed that Mulch and Post-H treatments produced more tree growth and higher yields than other treatments during most years; the Grass treatment usually had the smallest trees and lowest yields. More root emergence was observed in a light crop year (2002) than in a heavy crop year (2003). Pre-H treatment trees had more total roots and new roots than all other treatments, and trees in Grass plots had fewer total roots than others. Trees in Mulch plots had more shallow roots, and trees in Grass plots had more deep roots than others. Root diameter was positively correlated with overwintering root survival. The Pre-H treatment trees had greater root mortality than other trees during an unusually hot and dry growing season (2002) and this was attributed to higher shallow soil temperatures in this treatment. The GMS treatments affected root number and root depth distribution patterns. Despite microsprinkler irrigation, hot, dry weather conditions coincided with decreased root growth, increased root mortality, and reduced root median lifespan. GMS treatments affected root growth, turnover, and distribution at this orchard, and these differences were linked with long-term trends in tree growth and fruit production in this study.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch and postemergence herbicide gave greater tree growth and yield than other groundcovers in most years.
- Taxon
- apple
Malus domesticae0 - Treatment
- Mulch and Post-H treatmentse1
- Outcome
- tree growth and higher yieldse1
- Direction
- moree1
- Qualifier
- during most yearse1
- Comparator
- other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“Mulch and Post-H treatments produced more tree growth and higher yields than other treatments during most years”
Claim · model-written summary
Grass groundcover usually had the smallest trees and lowest yields.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Grass treatmente1
- Outcome
- trees and lowest yieldse1
- Direction
- smalleste1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“the Grass treatment usually had the smallest trees and lowest yields”
Claim · model-written summary
More roots emerged in the light crop year 2002 than the heavy crop year 2003.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Outcome
- root emergencee1
- Direction
- Moree1
- Qualifier
- light crop year (2002)e1
- Comparator
- heavy crop year (2003)e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“More root emergence was observed in a light crop year (2002) than in a heavy crop year (2003)”
Claim · model-written summary
Pre-H trees had more total and new roots than other treatments.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Pre-H treatmente1
- Outcome
- total roots and new rootse1
- Direction
- moree1
- Comparator
- all other treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“Pre-H treatment trees had more total roots and new roots than all other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Grass plots had fewer total roots than other treatments.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Grass plotse1
- Outcome
- total rootse1
- Direction
- fewere1
- Comparator
- otherse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“trees in Grass plots had fewer total roots than others”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch plots had more shallow roots.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Mulch plotse1
- Outcome
- shallow rootse1
- Direction
- moree1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“Trees in Mulch plots had more shallow roots”
Claim · model-written summary
Grass plots had more deep roots than others.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Grass plotse1
- Outcome
- deep rootse1
- Direction
- moree1
- Comparator
- otherse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“trees in Grass plots had more deep roots than others”
Claim · model-written summary
Larger root diameter was associated with greater overwintering root survival.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Organ / stage
- Roote1
- Outcome
- overwintering root survivale1
- Direction
- positively correlatede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“Root diameter was positively correlated with overwintering root survival”
Claim · model-written summary
Pre-H trees had greater root mortality than other trees during the hot, dry 2002 season.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Pre-H treatmente1
- Outcome
- root mortalitye1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Qualifier
- unusually hot and dry growing season (2002)e1
- Comparator
- other treese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“The Pre-H treatment trees had greater root mortality than other trees during an unusually hot and dry growing season (2002)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed higher Pre-H root mortality to higher shallow soil temperatures.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- Pre-H treatmente2
- Outcome
- root mortalitye2
- Qualifier
- higher shallow soil temperaturese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“this was attributed to higher shallow soil temperatures in this treatment”
e2“The Pre-H treatment trees had greater root mortality”
Claim · model-written summary
Hot, dry weather coincided with decreased root growth.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Outcome
- root growthe1
- Direction
- decreasede1
- Setting
- hot, dry weather conditionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“hot, dry weather conditions coincided with decreased root growth, increased root mortality, and reduced root median lifespan”
Claim · model-written summary
Hot, dry weather coincided with increased root mortality.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Outcome
- root mortalitye1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Setting
- hot, dry weather conditionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“hot, dry weather conditions coincided with decreased root growth, increased root mortality, and reduced root median lifespan”
Claim · model-written summary
Hot, dry weather coincided with reduced root median lifespan.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Outcome
- root median lifespane1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Setting
- hot, dry weather conditionse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“hot, dry weather conditions coincided with decreased root growth, increased root mortality, and reduced root median lifespan”
Claim · model-written summary
Groundcover-related root differences were linked with long-term tree growth and fruit production trends.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticae0
- Treatment
- GMS treatmentse2
- Outcome
- tree growth and fruit productione1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“apple ( Malus ×domestica Borkh.)”
e1“these differences were linked with long-term trends in tree growth and fruit production in this study”
e2“GMS treatments affected root growth, turnover, and distribution at this orchard”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Malus domestica (apple)Results differ
40 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- no effect
47 papers more in this group
See all 51 papers →herbicide · pest · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- positive
herbicide · yield · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
16 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- no effect
17 papers more in this group
See all 21 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.