Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-691-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-691-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Feb 2025
Research article |
| 06 Feb 2025
| 06 Feb 2025
Root growth dynamics and allocation as a response to rapid and local changes in soil moisture
Samuele Ceolin
Catchment and Eco-hydrology (CAT), Environmental Sensing and Modelling (ENVISION), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg
Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Stanislaus J. Schymanski
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Catchment and Eco-hydrology (CAT), Environmental Sensing and Modelling (ENVISION), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg
Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Dagmar van Dusschoten
Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
Robert Koller
Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
Julian Klaus
Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Cited
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The invisible subsoil compaction risk under no-till farming T. Keller et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2515473122
- Integrating Physiological, Molecular, and Epigenetic Strategies for Drought–resilient Crops G. Rai et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2025.2571362
- Phenological stage‐dependent hierarchical responses mediate extreme drought impacts on carbon fluxes of a semiarid grassland Z. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70739
- Spatially heterogenous responses of carbon storage to extreme hydrothermal fluctuations across China's ecological engineering zones J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2026.108158
- Integrative transcriptional regulatory networks governing cereal root responses to heavy metals and drought A. Das et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-026-03894-7
- Winter wheat enhances water productivity by reducing shallow root investment and improving deep root activity after anthesis in the Haihe Plain X. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110561
- Unearthing the hidden organ: vital role of the root in drought tolerance of plants D. Marik & A. Sadhukhan https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-025-01646-x
- Do specific root zones shape plant net N uptake? Modelling insights from Root-CyNAPS T. Gérault et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diag008
- Spatiotemporal Root-Trait Plasticity Underpins Almond Yield Stability and Enhanced Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Under Prolonged Fertigation Reduction S. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030409
- Deep root proliferation triggered by delayed jointing irrigation enhances post-anthesis canopy photosynthesis and grain yield in late-sown densified wheat S. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110609
- Soil moisture in the Anthropocene: a tipping component in planetary boundary transgressions G. Tefera et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfcea
- Evaluating metal-organic framework-based fertilizers in agriculture: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis S. Singh et al. https://doi.org/10.1186/s44399-026-00047-9
- Root growth dynamics in a temperate pasture exhibit influence of phenology and sensitivity to daily soil moisture fluctuations (“Hydromatching”) S. Ceolin et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-026-08767-2
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The invisible subsoil compaction risk under no-till farming T. Keller et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2515473122
- Integrating Physiological, Molecular, and Epigenetic Strategies for Drought–resilient Crops G. Rai et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2025.2571362
- Phenological stage‐dependent hierarchical responses mediate extreme drought impacts on carbon fluxes of a semiarid grassland Z. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70739
- Spatially heterogenous responses of carbon storage to extreme hydrothermal fluctuations across China's ecological engineering zones J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2026.108158
- Integrative transcriptional regulatory networks governing cereal root responses to heavy metals and drought A. Das et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-026-03894-7
- Winter wheat enhances water productivity by reducing shallow root investment and improving deep root activity after anthesis in the Haihe Plain X. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110561
- Unearthing the hidden organ: vital role of the root in drought tolerance of plants D. Marik & A. Sadhukhan https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-025-01646-x
- Do specific root zones shape plant net N uptake? Modelling insights from Root-CyNAPS T. Gérault et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diag008
- Spatiotemporal Root-Trait Plasticity Underpins Almond Yield Stability and Enhanced Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Under Prolonged Fertigation Reduction S. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030409
- Deep root proliferation triggered by delayed jointing irrigation enhances post-anthesis canopy photosynthesis and grain yield in late-sown densified wheat S. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110609
- Soil moisture in the Anthropocene: a tipping component in planetary boundary transgressions G. Tefera et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfcea
- Evaluating metal-organic framework-based fertilizers in agriculture: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis S. Singh et al. https://doi.org/10.1186/s44399-026-00047-9
- Root growth dynamics in a temperate pasture exhibit influence of phenology and sensitivity to daily soil moisture fluctuations (“Hydromatching”) S. Ceolin et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-026-08767-2
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 21 Sep 2026
Short summary
We investigated if and how roots of maize plants respond to multiple abrupt changes in soil moisture. We measured root lengths using a magnetic resonance imaging technique and calculated changes in growth rates after applying water pulses. The root growth rates increased in wetted soil layers within 48 hours and decreased in non-wetted layers, indicating fast adaptation of the root systems to moisture changes. Our findings could improve irrigation management and vegetation models.
We investigated if and how roots of maize plants respond to multiple abrupt changes in soil...
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