Growth and development of cotton roots at various soil texture undersaline conditions
2003
Gohar, Z.N. | Ahmad, R. | Gul, H.,Karachi Univ. (Pakistan). Dept. of Botany
The effect of sandy and clayey loams was studied on the growth anddevelopment of roots of cotton seedlings at different soil salinity levels.Plastic bags were filled with soils of different textures and made saline with0.4 % (EC 4.44 dS/m in sandy loam, 5.45 dS/m in clayey loam) and 0.8 % (EC8.2 dS/m in sandy loam, 9.05 dS/m in clay loam) dilutions of sea salt. Sevendays old seedlings were transplanted in these plastic bags and allowed togrow for forty days. The soil was later washed out from the roots verycarefully leaving undamaged root system at sieve, which was examinedthoroughly. Roots were found thicker in clayey loam as compared to sandyloam, but in both the cases root thickness decreased with an increase insalinity. Primary roots were longer in sandy loam in control and 0.4 % soilsalinity, but at 0.8 % soil salinity it was longer in clayey loam. Number ofsecondary roots was comparatively more in sandy loam at 0.4 % salinitytreatment, but at 0.8 % salinity treatment it was more in clayey loam. Averagelength of secondary roots was longer in clayey loam. Tertiary rootdevelopment was much more in clayey loam but decreased with the increasingsalinity in both the soil textures. Root and shoot biomass, height of seedlingsand number of leaves were comparatively more in clayey loam. Salinity didaffect the shoot growth but over all it was much better in clayey loam, inabove mentioned range of salinity than that of sandy loam.
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