The distribution of dry matter growth between shoot and roots in loblolly pine

Abstract

The allometric relationship, log (y) = a + k•log (x)-where x is one plant organ (e g., dry weight of roots) and y is another (e.g., dry weight of shoot)-was used to study the relative distribution of growth within loblolly pine seedlings. The relative distribution of growth between shoot and roots or among needles, stem, and roots was unchanged by conditions ranging from full sunlight to one-third of full sunlight. There was an indication that the growth of the shoot was inhibited by soil moisture stress to a relatively greater degree than the growth of the roots, as shown by a decrease in slope of the allometric relationship. These results and data reanalyzed from the literature suggested that the relative growth of shoot to root in pine is surprisingly constant under the usual conditions of culture. The ontogenetic decrease in the ratio of shoot to root seems to be a common trend in woody seedlings, and this pattern can be interpreted as adaptive.

Citation

Ledig, F. Thomas; Bormann, F. Herbert; Wenger, Karl F. 1970. The distribution of dry matter growth between shoot and roots in loblolly pine. Botanical Gazette 131(4):349-359