Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-5nwft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-11T13:24:18.346Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of Planting Density on Water Use and Productivity of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum Typhoides) Grown on Stored Water. I. Growth of Roots and Shoots

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

S. N. Azam-Ali ,
P. J. Gregory  and
J. L. Monteith
S. N. Azam-Ali
Affiliation:
O.D.A. Microclimatology Group, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, England
P. J. Gregory
Affiliation:
O.D.A. Microclimatology Group, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, England
J. L. Monteith
Affiliation:
O.D.A. Microclimatology Group, University of Nottingham School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, England
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) was grown on stored water at Niamey, Niger, using three row spacings (38, 75 and 150 cm), to determine the physiological basis of exploitation and conservation of water by crops during drought Between 18 and 32 days after sowing, roots grew rapidly beneath all crops reaching 140 cm in the narrow spacing, but there were differences between crops in the pattern of growth. Soil cores and trench profiles indicated that plants in wider rows had fewer, deeper roots. Substantial differences in both the amount and pattern of shoot growth were recorded in the different populations. Initially growth was fastest at the narrow spacing but stopped by day 45 and eventually the wide spacing produced most dry matter due mainly to greater survival of tillers. The partitioning of above ground dry matter into vegetative and reproductive fractions was similar at all three spacings and was consistent with figures for comparable crops elsewhere. The important role of tillers is discussed in relation to the development and maintenance of a canopy.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , July 1984 , pp. 203 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Azam-Ali, S. N. (1983). Seasonal estimates of transpiration from a millet crop using a porometer. Agricultural Meteorology 30:13–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azam-Ali, S. N., Gregory, P. J. & Monteith, J. L. (1984). Effects of planting density on water use and productivity of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) grown on stored water. II. Water use, light interception and dry matter production. Experimental Agriculture 20:215–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Babalola, O. & Oputa, C. (1981). Effects of planting patterns and population on water relations of maize. Experimental Agriculture 17:97–104.Google Scholar
Bohm, W. (1977). Development of soybean root system as affected by plant spacing. Zeitschrift für Acker-Pflanzbau 144:103–112.Google Scholar
Dry Land Farming Research Scheme (1982). Phase III Third Annual Report. Agricultural Research Station, Scbele, Botswana.Google Scholar
Gregory, P. J. & Squire, G. R. (1979). Irrigation effects on roots and shoots of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides). Experimental Agriculture 15:161–168.Google Scholar
Holliday, R. (1960). Plant population and crop yield. Nature 186:22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legg, B. J., Day, W., Lawlor, D. W. & Parkinson, K. J. (1979). The effects of drought on barley growth: models and measurements showing the relative importance of leaf area and photosynthetic rate. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92:703–716.Google Scholar
Monteith, J. L. (1977). Climate and the efficiency of crop production in Britain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, B, 281:277–294.Google Scholar
Russell, R. S. (1977). Plant Root Systems; their Function and Interaction with the Soil, 90–109. London: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Ryhiner, A. H. & Matsuda, M. (1978). Effect of plant density and water supply on wheat production. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 26:200–209.Google Scholar
Shinozaki, K. & Kira, T. (1956). Intraspecific competition among higher plants. 7. Logistic theory of the C-D effect. Journal of the Polytechnic of Osaka City University D7:36–72.Google Scholar
Tennant, D. (1975). A test of a modified line intersect method of estimating root length. Journal of Ecology 63:995–1001.Google Scholar
Virmani, S. M., Reddy, S. J. & Bose, M. N. S. (1980). Manuel de Climatologie Pluviale de l' Afrique Occidentale: Donees pour des Stations Selectionees. ICRISAT Bulletin d'Information No. 7.Google Scholar