Publication Details
Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/nph.19159
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) The soil pore structure encountered by roots affects plant-derived carbon inputs and fate
Author Lucas, M.; Santiago, J.P.; Chen, J.; Guber, A.; Kravchenko, A.
Source Titel New Phytologist
Year 2023
Department BOSYS
Volume 240
Issue 2
Page From 515
Page To 528
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.48758/ufz.13657
Supplements Supplement 1
Keywords carbon allocation; carbon sequestration; pore structure; root–soil contact; X-ray computed tomography
Abstract
  • Plant roots are the main supplier of carbon (C) to the soil, the largest terrestrial C reservoir. Soil pore structure drives root growth, yet how it affects belowground C inputs remains a critical knowledge gap.
  • By combining X-ray computed tomography with 14C plant labelling, we identified root–soil contact as a previously unrecognised influence on belowground plant C allocations and on the fate of plant-derived C in the soil.
  • Greater contact with the surrounding soil, when the growing root encounters a pore structure dominated by small (< 40 μm Ø) pores, results in strong rhizodeposition but in areas of high microbial activity. The root system of Rudbeckia hirta revealed high plasticity and thus maintained high root–soil contact. This led to greater C inputs across a wide range of soil pore structures. The root–soil contact Panicum virgatum, a promising bioenergy feedstock crop, was sensitive to the encountered structure. Pore structure built by a polyculture, for example, restored prairie, can be particularly effective in promoting lateral root growth and thus root–soil contact and associated C benefits.
  • The findings suggest that the interaction of pore structure with roots is an important, previously unrecognised, stimulus of soil C gains.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=27513
Lucas, M., Santiago, J.P., Chen, J., Guber, A., Kravchenko, A. (2023):
The soil pore structure encountered by roots affects plant-derived carbon inputs and fate
New Phytol. 240 (2), 515 - 528 10.1111/nph.19159