<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0mgYfo_0uk0JWBR00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0mgYfo_0uk0JWBR00" width="769" height="458" ><figcaption>Researchers at the University of Illinois and Beck’s Hybrids conduct studies to understand corn-root architecture. Beck's</figcaption></figure>The value of a healthy root system is certainly not lost to farmers. But diagnosing and fixing problems underground may take some detective work.“Those roots are the source of water uptake and the source of nutrient uptake,” said Mark Licht, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University. “If we limit the conduit, that limits our water and nutrient uptake. And without water and nutrient uptake, we don’t have growth and development.”Many factors can affect good root development and health. Compaction may be the most important of the list, and modern farm machinery is often the culprit.“There are a variety of ways to get compaction,” Licht said. “There’s wheel traffic from various equipment going through the field, including the planter itself. When seed furrows are opened up by double-disks, it’s more a smearing type. More prevalent nowadays are depth-gauge wheels with down force. You can get 2-inch- by-2-inch-deep blocks next to that row. That’s close to the seed.”Soil types and environmental conditions also impact root growth. Farmers in regions with sub-par land may deal with other factors affecting roots. John Pike, an independent agronomic consultant in Illinois, said soil and rain can suppress successful root growth.“Root health in southern Illinois is so much correlated with water and drainage,” Pike said. “In our clay soils they are either compacted or don’t drain very well. We sometimes have waterlogged soils that stay wet for an extended period of time, especially in early development. That’s the biggest challenge I’ve seen.”Planting dates often result in challenges to germination and growth of the root mass, he said.“This year might be the exception, but for last 10 years or so it seems like we’ve always had an early planting window when soil conditions are really good for planting,” he said. “A lot of acres are planted in that first (time frame), then we get a sizable rain of 2 to 3 inches, or a couple of rains that would amount to that that will waterlog, especially in tilled ground. Seeds don’t germinate well in that tilled layer of soil, and early root development doesn’t proceed very fast.”Wiggly things underground can also have great effects – both good and bad – on root development.Licht said, “Several micro-organisms in the soil can cause seedling or root rot early in the spring right around that germination-to-emerging time frame. That can impact that root health.<h2>People are also reading…</h2>“Nematodes, corn rootworms, those types of pests in the soil come into contact with those roots, compromising that root system.”Earthworms can have the opposite effect.“Anything that creates soil pores is going to be good for root health,” he said. “Those roots are like humans. They’re going to be lazy when they can. If they get into an earthworm channel, they’ll grow down those and send out lateral roots. That makes it easier for roots.”The beginning of the crop season is most crucial for root development.Pike said, “It’s like a puppy when it’s all ears and feet. Sometimes you get into a situation where the root system isn’t developing at the same rate as the top growth of the plant. There are a lot of those cases this year. ‘My crop doesn’t look right, and I think I have a nutrient deficiency.’”The cause is not always evident.“If you would have taken a tissue test, in some cases, the plant is lacking,” he said. “But if you take a soil test, the nutrient availability was in the soil. It just didn’t have the root growth to supply the plant. There were some ugly crops this year that had symptoms of nutrient deficiency. The soil conditions are one of the biggest drivers of root health. Excess moisture and compaction are things that can hold that down.”Crop-protection products can also be an issue.Licht said, “Herbicides can damage roots as well. Some herbicides potentially carry over from a previous application or some plants are more sensitive to certain chemistry. You can get bottle brushing on roots not related to root pruning at all, but to herbicide, a residual product that was out there. You have to become a detective and think through what’s causing poor root growth. It can be multiple things.”Pike and Licht agree root health takes on added importance during periods of plant stress, and that farmers are wise to dig up some of their plants to inspect root growth. If growth is subpar, they may make adjustments.“If corn rootworms are pruning those roots, what’s my rotation?” Licht said. “Am I in continuous corn; do I need to move to corn rotation? What traits do I use to control rootworms? Do I need to look at soil-applied insecticide at planting?“It’s not one-size-fits-all. There are different ways we get compaction. We have to individualize it to know what we’re doing.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Root health grows stress-fighting foundation

The value of a healthy root system is certainly not lost to farmers. But diagnosing and fixing problems underground may take some detective work. “Those roots are the source of water uptake and the source of nutrient uptake,” said Mark Licht, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University. “If we limit the conduit, that limits our water and nutrient uptake. And without water and nutrient uptake, we don’t have growth and development.”

Root health grows stress-fighting foundation

Comments / 0