Morphological Changes in Wheat Seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.) following Root Anaerobiosis and Partial Pruning of the Root System

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Abstract
Morphological changes of roots and shoots following oxygen deficiency in the root medium and after partial pruning of the root system were analyzed to obtain easily measurable parameters of the adaptive capacity of the root system against stress. Wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Hatri) were cultivated on nutrient solution which was either aerated or flushed with nitrogen, or were cultivated on flooded sand. On the third day after grain swelling in two pruning variants, roots 1–3 or 4–8 were excised. Root anaerobiosis retarded longitudinal growth and biomass accumulation of the shoot and the seminal roots, and stimulated the development of adventitious roots. Partial removal caused a general compensative growth of the remaining roots under aerobic conditions. Root pruning plus anaerobiosis exceeded the compensatory capacity of the seedlings and thus caused a strong delay of elongation and biomass accumulation of both roots and shoots, including decrease of the root/shoot ratio. Roots became independent of endosperm reserves on the seventh day under aerobic conditions though caryopses were not completely exhausted at this time. Additionally, oxygen deficiency delayed the reserve exhaustion process.