Abstract
When salinity increases beyond a certain threshold it will result in
reduced crop yield at a fixed rate, according to Maas and Hoffman model
(1976). Thus, there is a great importance of predicting salinization and
its impact on crops. Current models do not consider the impact of
environmental conditions on plants salt tolerance, even though these
conditions are affecting plant water uptake and therefore salt
accumulation around the roots. Different factors, such as transpiration
rates, can influence the plant sensitivity to salinity by influencing
salt concentrations around the roots. Better parametrization of a model
can help improving predicting the real effects of salinity on crop
growth and yield. The aim of this research is to study Na+ distribution
around roots at different scales using different non-invasive methods,
and study how this distribution is being affected by transpiration rate
and plant water uptake. Results from tomato plants growing on
Rhizoslides (capillary paper growth system), show that Na+ concentration
is higher at the root- substrate interface, compared with the bulk.
Also, Na+ accumulation around the roots decreased under low
transpiration rate, which is supporting our hypothesis. Additionally,
Rhizoslides enable to study roots' growth rate and architecture under
different salinity levels. Root system architecture was retrieved from
photos taken during the experiment and enabled us to incorporate real
root systems into a simulation. To observe the correlation of root
system architectures and Na+ distribution in three dimensions, we used
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI provides fine resolution of Na+
accumulation around a single root without disturbing the root system.
With time, Na+ was accumulating only where roots were found in the soil
and later on around specific roots. These data are being used for model
calibration, which is expected to predict root water uptake in saline
soils for different climatic conditions and different soil water
availabilities.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 19th EGU General Assembly, EGU2017, proceedings from the conference held 23-28 April, 2017 in Vienna, Austria |
Pages | 5403 |
State | Published - 1 Apr 2017 |
Event | 19th EGU General Assembly, EGU2017, proceedings from the conference Austria. - Vienna, Austria Duration: 23 Apr 2017 → 28 Apr 2017 |
Conference
Conference | 19th EGU General Assembly, EGU2017, proceedings from the conference Austria. |
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Country/Territory | Austria |
City | Vienna |
Period | 23/04/17 → 28/04/17 |