Everybody’s heard of them. But do you really know them? In this upcoming series, join us as we go back to the basics – and discover how we can best help you – to recover your roots.
It is difficult to understate the importance of roots to plants. Studies investigating the true extent of root systems have found that many plants invest significantly more than 50% of their body weight into developing their root systems. For instance, a study found that a 14-week-old corn plant had roots extending 6m downwards and 5m horizontally in all directions, far exceeding the surface area of the aboveground shoot. The main reasons why roots are of such importance to plants can be summarized in the points below:
1. Support: As roots develop below the soil, they provide mechanical support and serve to anchor the plant to the ground, providing a platform for the leaves and shoots to absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide to photosynthesize. A strong and healthy root system can prevent the plant from being easily uprooted or overturned by external forces. Additionally, they serve to hold the soil in place and naturally help to prevent soil erosion and landslides. Plants have developed different root structures and systems to anchor themselves in the soil.
2. Water and nutrients: The root system chiefly serves as a network to exploit available water and nutrients present in the soil for absorption. Water plays a major role in the physiological processes of the plant, such as photosynthesis, nutrient transportation and metabolite production. It is also an important factor in transpiration and cell turgidity, which affects the strength and flexibility of the plant. Nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium make up important cell structures and are essential to maintaining healthy cell functions and activities. The uptake of adequate nutrients will directly impact the yield and quality of the harvested crops, such as size, aroma, color and taste. Since soil is the main source of water and nutrients, plants use roots to search for, absorb and transport them to other plant organs. Plant root cells and tissues are therefore specialized for this function.
3. Storage: Although a secondary function, plant roots can also act as storage sites for products synthesized in photosynthetic organs, such as leaves and shoots. In plants with storage roots, products such as starch and sucrose are transported along the phloem to the roots and stored there until they are needed to complete the life cycle. This causes the roots of these plants to be much greater in size and mass compared to other plants which don’t have storage roots. In cases where the root crops are cultivated for agricultural purposes, such as sweet potatoes, carrots and yam, having healthy root growth and development is very important to ensuring good crop quality.
To summarize, having a healthy root system is extremely important in ensuring proper plant growth and development. Healthy roots will lead to greater uptake of nutrients and a stronger support system for the plant, leading to improved plant growth, ultimately increasing the yield and quality of the crops being harvested. By ensuring a good and healthy root system, we will in turn safeguard the productivity of our crops for the future.
Do join us to learn more about the structures plant roots have that allow them to take in nutrients from the soil!
References:
Gregory, P.J. (2008). Plant Roots: Growth, Activity and Interaction with Soils. [online] Blackwell Publishing. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470995563 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2024].
William Garret Hopkins and HünerN.P.A. (2009). Introduction to plant physiology. 4th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Cop.