Articles | Volume 14, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3851-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3851-2017
Research article
 | 
29 Aug 2017
Research article |  | 29 Aug 2017

Morphological plasticity of root growth under mild water stress increases water use efficiency without reducing yield in maize

Qian Cai, Yulong Zhang, Zhanxiang Sun, Jiaming Zheng, Wei Bai, Yue Zhang, Yang Liu, Liangshan Feng, Chen Feng, Zhe Zhang, Ning Yang, Jochem B. Evers, and Lizhen Zhang

Related authors

Rainfall pattern greatly affects water use by Mongolian Scots pine on a sandy soil, in a semi-arid climate
Hongzhong Dang, Lizhen Zhang, Wenbin Yang, Jinchao Feng, Hui Han, and Wei Li
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-69,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-69, 2017
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary

Related subject area

Biogeophysics: Physical - Biological Coupling
Impact of canopy environmental variables on the diurnal dynamics of water and carbon dioxide exchange at leaf and canopy level
Raquel González-Armas, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano, Mary Rose Mangan, Oscar Hartogensis, and Hugo de Boer
Biogeosciences, 21, 2425–2445, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2425-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2425-2024, 2024
Short summary
Unique ocean circulation pathways reshape the Indian Ocean oxygen minimum zone with warming
Sam Ditkovsky, Laure Resplandy, and Julius Busecke
Biogeosciences, 20, 4711–4736, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4711-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4711-2023, 2023
Short summary
Contribution of the open ocean to the nutrient and phytoplankton inventory in a semi-enclosed coastal sea
Qian Leng, Xinyu Guo, Junying Zhu, and Akihiko Morimoto
Biogeosciences, 20, 4323–4338, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4323-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4323-2023, 2023
Short summary
The contrasted phytoplankton dynamics across a frontal system in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea
Roxane Tzortzis, Andrea M. Doglioli, Monique Messié, Stéphanie Barrillon, Anne A. Petrenko, Lloyd Izard, Yuan Zhao, Francesco d'Ovidio, Franck Dumas, and Gérald Gregori
Biogeosciences, 20, 3491–3508, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3491-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3491-2023, 2023
Short summary
Sub-frontal niches of plankton communities driven by transport and trophic interactions at ocean fronts
Inès Mangolte, Marina Lévy, Clément Haëck, and Mark D. Ohman
Biogeosciences, 20, 3273–3299, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3273-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3273-2023, 2023
Short summary

Cited articles

Abendroth, L. J., Elmore, R. W., Boyer, M. J., and Marlay, S. K.: Corn Growth and Development. PMR 1009. Iowa State University Extension, Ames, Iowa, USA, available at: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/Corn-Growth-and-Development (last access: 8 June 2017), 2011.
Beis, A. and Patakas, A.: Differential physiological and biochemical responses to drought in grapevines subjected to partial root drying and deficit irrigation, Eur. J. Agron., 62, 90–97, 2015.
Cakir, R.: Effect of water stress at different development stages on vegetative and reproductive growth of corn, Field Crop Res., 89, 1–16, 2004.
Claassen, M. M. and Shaw, R. H.: Water deficit effects on corn. II. Grain components, Agron. J., 62, 652–655, 1970.
Davies, W. J. and Zhang, J.: Root signals and the regulation of growth and development of plants in drying soil, Ann. Rev. Plant Phys., 42, 55–76, 1991.
Download
Short summary
Large yield gaps exist in rain-fed maize in semi-arid regions caused by frequent droughts halfway through the growing period due to uneven distribution of rainfall. It can be questioned whether irrigation systems are economically and ecologically required. Maize yield was not affected by mild water stress due to the morphological plasticity in root growth. Our results help to mitigate drought risk in dry-land agriculture.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint