Some considerations on the root system of forage plants

Abstract

In describing and studying plant organisms, it is usual to subdivide them into parts above the soil surface, called aerial part and the part below the ground surface, called underground part. Most of the research on pasture, the study of the growth and development of the shoot is prioritized at the expense of their interdependence with the roots and the influence of physical and chemical properties of soil, climate and forage plant management on these variables. Therefore, a vigorous root system reduces the time of regrowth of plants, decreasing grazing cycles and increasing the annual production of forage crops, and increase the resistance of plants to drought stress and forage competitiveness for nutrients. However, for this to occur, you need a soil structure favorable to its growth, as a low resistance to root penetration and pore space suitable for the movement of water and gases. Studying the root system of any culture is not an easy task as the variability physical, chemical and biological soil influences the distribution of the roots, leading to collection of results that do not match reality. The lack of attention that the root system of the plant receives the detriment of their shoot is justified, in part, due to the difficult and tedious methods of assessing root. Therefore, knowing the distribution of the roots of plant forage, there are the subsidies needed to allow the best use of management techniques forage plant irrigation, fertilization and animals.