Journal article
Elevated [CO2] mitigates the effect of surface drought by stimulating root growth to access sub-soil water
S Uddin, M Löw, S Parvin, GJ Fitzgerald, S Tausz-Posch, R Armstrong, G O’Leary, M Tausz
Plos One | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2018
Open access
Abstract
Through stimulation of root growth, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) may facilitate access of crops to sub-soil water, which could potentially prolong physiological activity in dryland environments, particularly because crops are more water use efficient under elevated [CO2] (e[CO2]). This study investigated the effect of drought in shallow soil versus sub-soil on agronomic and physiological responses of wheat to e[CO2] in a glasshouse experiment. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yitpi) was grown in split-columns with the top (0–30 cm) and bottom (31–60 cm; ‘sub-soil’) soil layer hydraulically separated by a wax-coated, root-penetrable layer under ambient [CO2] (a[CO2], *400 μ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was a part of the Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment (AGFACE) program. AGFACE is jointly run by the University of Melbourne and Agriculture Victoria (Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources) with funding from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (grant number: DAV00137) and the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (grant number: FtRG1193982). SU was supported by Melbourne International Research and Melbourne International Fee Remission Scholarships. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.