Root development in the Mediterranean shrub Pistacia lentiscus as affected by nursery treatments [An article from: Journal of Arid Environments]

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Arid Environments, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Establishment of transplanted seedlings of woody shrubs in degraded Mediterranean environments may be aided by nursery treatments that promote development of a deep and effective root system. Experimental treatments of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculation and drought modified the root system architecture of Pistacia lentiscus L. AM inoculation did not influence total seedling mass, but inoculated root systems had shorter internodes and were less branched than non-mycorrhizal systems. Drought had a similar influence to AM inoculation, and the effects of AM and drought were additive. Reduction in branching increased root system exploitation efficiency but the concurrent reduction in internode length reduced the soil volume explored.