Biogeosciences
Biogeosciences
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Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
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.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-691-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
Research article
 | 
06 Feb 2025
Research article |  | 06 Feb 2025

Root growth dynamics and allocation as a response to rapid and local changes in soil moisture

Samuele Ceolin, Stanislaus J. Schymanski, Dagmar van Dusschoten, Robert Koller, and Julian Klaus

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Cited articles

Amenu, G. G. and Kumar, P.: A model for hydraulic redistribution incorporating coupled soil-root moisture transport, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 12, 55–74, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-12-55-2008, 2008. a
Bauerle, T. L., Smart, D. R., Bauerle, W. L., Stockert, C., and Eissenstat, D. M.: Root foraging in response to heterogeneous soil moisture in two grapevines that differ in potential growth rate, New Phytol., 179, 857–866, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02489.x, 2008. a
Carvajal, M., Cooke, D., and Clarkson, D.: Responses of wheat plants to nutrient deprivation may involve the regulation of water-channel function, Planta, 199, 372–381, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195729, 1996. a
Ceolin, S.: MRI images and code for data analysis, Zenodo [code and data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14236332, 2025. a
Chaves, M. and Davies, B.: Drought effects and water use efficiency: improving crop production in dry environments, Funct. Plant Biol., 37, iii, https://doi.org/10.1071/FPv37n2_FO, 2010. a
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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.
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