Relationship between Root Respiration during the Seedling Stage and Rooting Ability of Cabbage and Broccoli Plants after Transplantation

Abstract

The present investigations were conducted to establish a relationship between seedling root respiration rate and the subsequent rooting ability of cabbage and broccoli plants.
1. Root respiration of seedlings was affected by cultural conditions such as shade, defoliation, photoperiod, soil temperature, and flooding treatments. The extremes of these conditions resulted in a decrease in respiration in the root.
2. Drag resistance of the seedlings after planting as measured by universal testing machine was found to be closely related to rooting ability ; its value became lower as root weight decreased and the root distribution became limited.
3. Root respiration was also found to be closely related to rooting ability. It was observed that the higher the rate of root respiration, the more vigorously the root grew. Conversely, a lower rate of root respiration resulted in diminished root growth.
From these data, we conclude that root generation by cabbage and broccoli nursery plants can be predicted by measuring the root respiration rate during the seedling stage.