Population, Growth and Water Use of Groundnut Maintained on Stored Water. I. Root and Shoot Growth

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The growth of roots and shoots was measured in stands of groundnut grown at a number of populations on stored water in central India. Total weight and length of roots per unit land area increased with population density, but the proportional increases were much less than for shoot weight. Consequently the root:total weight ratio increased from 0.3 in the densest stand to almost 0.5 in the widely spaced crop. The denser stands produced a greater proportion of their roots at depth. In wide rows there was little change in rooting density across the inter-row space.Total dry matter per unit land area increased with population, although the weight per plant was less in denser stands. Although the crops were harvested prematurely, pod yield per unit land area, unlike total dry matter, was no greater in dense stands than in more widely spaced crops. The greatest number of pods per unit land area was recorded at an intermediate population density.