OCR Text |
Show DEPTH OF ROOT PENETRATION Some Interesting Results Obtained Regarding Various Crops In Various Vari-ous Sections of Country. (By D. W. FREAR. Colorado Agricultural College.) Much misapprehension exists among agriculturists ragardlng the depth to which roots penetrate the soil. It Is a general belief that the roots of cultivated crops do not reach to a greater depth than one or two feet. Corn roots have been found to penetrate four feet deep and to fully occupy the soil to that depth. On drier and deeper soils they went &a deep at eight feet. Roots of small grains, such as wheat, oats and barley bar-ley penetrated the soil from four to eight feet, and even ten feet hi depth. Perennial grasses have been found to go to a depth of four feet the first year and 5V4 feet the next year and they probably go oonslderably deeper during succeeding years. Other crops have gone to the following depths: Potatoes, 3 feet; sugar beets, 4 feet; alfalfa, 30-50 feet. The buffalo berry penetrated the soil te the depth of 50 feet in Nebraska. In California: Grape vines went down 22 feet; fig-wort, fig-wort, more than 10 feet; goose foot. 11 feet, and hop plant, 8 to 10 feet. Most of the above results were obtained ob-tained In humid or sub-humid regions. Soils and climate differ In such a way as to favor a somewhat deeper root penetration in arid regions, hence It is natural to expect to find roots at even greater depths than the above. The conditions which encourage deeper rooting are drainage, limited supply of moisture and a soil porous and fertile to a great depth. Deep, early cultivation also forces roots to seek the lower depths. Deep rooted plants are much more drought resistant, resist-ant, due to the fact that they can draw on the lower water supply during dur-ing periods of drought. They ftlso have a larger feeding area and the fertility of the soil is not depleted, so quickly. Heavy irrigation in the early part of the Beason. when there Is likely to be a deficiency of moisture later. Is a had thing, because It encourages surface sur-face rooting, which means that the plants are going to suffer later for want of moisture on account of their inability to draw on the supply In the lower subsoil. |