Shoot and root responses of rice plants to belowground environmental heterogeneity within a local rice farming community
Abstract The physiological and morphological characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.) vary with environmental conditions. Homogeneous plant growth is assumed among rice fields within a local rice farming community when managed with the same cultural practices owing to little variation in climatic c...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Discover Agriculture |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-024-00138-8 |
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| Summary: | Abstract The physiological and morphological characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.) vary with environmental conditions. Homogeneous plant growth is assumed among rice fields within a local rice farming community when managed with the same cultural practices owing to little variation in climatic conditions. However, heterogeneity in the belowground environment is also found within communities. In this study, we hypothesized that rice plants stabilize shoot growth and, hence, grain yield by changing rice root traits in response to belowground environmental heterogeneity. On-farm trials were conducted in the Kaya and Ishikawa villages (4 km apart) in Yosano town, Kyoto, Japan. The rice cultivar Koshirikari was grown organically with or without zeolite or dolomite to alter the soil conditions further. Increased root weight due to many thick nodal roots deeper into the soil layers was detected in Ishikawa. In contrast, reduced root weight due to many thin lateral roots, eventually forming root mats in shallow soil layers under continuous flooding conditions, was detected in Kaya. Physiological root activity, as evaluated by the bleeding rate per root weight, was significantly higher in Kaya than in Ishikawa. The application of material had little effect on root responses. While shoot dry weight and grain yield responded to the location and material application, the effect of belowground environmental heterogeneity was much more pronounced on root growth than shoot growth. These results suggest that rice plants maintain relatively stable aboveground growth despite dynamic belowground changes within the local rice farming community. Although the results support the hypothesis, these preliminary data must be reinforced by more evidence from replicate trials over time and detailed analyses on plant and soil features. |
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| ISSN: | 2731-9598 |