A Wet Excavation Method for Root/Shoot Studies of Pearl Millet on the Sandy Soils of the Sahel

Sivakumar, M V K and Salaam, S A (1994) A Wet Excavation Method for Root/Shoot Studies of Pearl Millet on the Sandy Soils of the Sahel. Experimental Agriculture, 30 (3). pp. 329-336. ISSN 0014-4797

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Abstract

Root/shoot relations of two cultivars of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) were studied on a sandy soil at Sadore in Niger using a wet excavation method. For the first 10 days after emergence (DAE), the length of the seminal root showed an exponential growth rate while plant height increased more or less linearly. The maximum rooting depth for millet was 168 cm and the maximum number of root axes and primary laterals, 172 per plant. Root length continued to increase up to 75 DAE, the maximum length exceeding 5000 cm per plant. The proportion of total day matter accumulated in the roots decreased from 30% in the early stages to less than 20% by maturity. The wet excavation method is a promising technique for the rapid removal of intact root systems of pearl millet from the sandy soils of the Sahel.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	Mandate crops > Millets
Depositing User:	Mr Charan Sai Ch
Date Deposited:	23 Oct 2011 05:46
Last Modified:	14 Sep 2013 13:13
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/3124
Official URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0014479700024431
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	The authors acknowledge the competent technical assistance of' Gualbert Magloir and Soumana Hassane of the Agroclimatology subprogram at ISC in the conduct of this study and the helpful comments of Dr W. A. Payne on a preliminary draft of this paper
Links:	Author

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