Genotypic Differences in Root and Shoot Growth of Barley (Hordeum vulgare). I. Glasshouse Studies of Young Plants and Effects of Rooting Medium

Abstract

SUMMARYSeedlings of 48 genotypes of barley were grown in a glasshouse in different rooting media to determine the possible range of variation in root and shoot systems. Plants grown in nutrient solution produced shoots which were larger than those grown in sand and perlite, but in sand and perlite almost twice as much root length was produced per unit of shoot area. There were large differences between genotypes in both root and shoot growth.The effects of growing medium on rooting were studied in more detail on six of the genotypes. Plants grown in soil and nutrient solution had longer lateral roots than those grown in sand and perlite. Genotypic variation in growth was large but the range of root and shoot growth in a particular medium was similar. Generally, the ranking of the genotypes was similar in both studies and in all media.