Effect of Soil Water Management Status on Corn and Soybean Root Growth.

Effect of soil water management status on corn and soybean root growth Soil temperature and water have been shown to be important factors in root growth. It is hypothesized that drainage water management strategies which are intended to enhance productivity and mitigate negative off-site water quality impacts will reduce root abundance, length, diameter and mass. The objective of this experiment was to quantify three root traits: a) root length density, b) root diameter and c) root biomass. The experiment was conducted at two Minnesota locations along a west to east precipitation gradient, included two cropping systems [corn (Zea Mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Merr.) rotation and perennial vegetation] and different drainage water management practices, including conventional free drainage, controlled drainage and no drainage/undrained. Root samples were collected at the point of peak root biomass for corn and soybean using a hydraulic probe to a depth of 1 m. Growing season precipitation was 11% above average compared to the long-term mean (534 mm) during 2015 while during 2016 growing season precipitation was 38% above average. Corn showed more variability in root traits compared to soybean for growing conditions in both years. . Our preliminary results indicated that growing season weather conditions, drainage water management and crop type affect crop root growth.