Cereal root growth in a sandy soil with a hardsetting subsurface horizon was restricted only under dry conditions

Stephen Lang; Timothy Cavagnaro; David Chittleborough; Ehsan Tavakkoli; Nigel Wilhelm

doi:10.1007/s11104-025-07946-x

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Cereal root growth in a sandy soil with a hardsetting subsurface horizon was restricted only under dry conditions

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Cereal root growth in a sandy soil with a hardsetting subsurface horizon was restricted only under dry conditions

Stephen Lang, Timothy Cavagnaro, David Chittleborough, Ehsan Tavakkoli and Nigel Wilhelm

Plant and Soil, Vol.517, pp.1655-1672

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07946-x

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Abstract

hardsetting

soil compaction

root penetration

deep tillage

penetrometer

Background and aims High soil strength that develops in sandy soils through compaction and hardsetting processes can severely restrict root growth, reducing access to limited resources. However, it is unclear how variation in soil moisture within and between seasons impacts the role of hardsetting in these soils, and the subsequent restrictions to rooting depth and ultimately crop production. Methods To investigate root growth in hardsetting soil under controlled moisture conditions, soil columns were constructed with a subsurface compacted soil layer that hardset upon drying. A ripping treatment was applied to this soil in half of the pots, and wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Scepter) was grown in these soil columns under three contrasting watering regimes for 42 days. Soil strength was measured with a lab-based penetrometer prior to dismantling the soil columns to assess root distribution. Results The compacted soil layer hardset at a water content close to wilting point. Only where dry conditions were maintained did the compacted layer provide a physical barrier to root growth accessing deeper soil water. In these soils, ripping resulted in a significant increase in deep root growth and a 39% increase in shoot biomass. Temporal hardsetting, induced by a wet-dry watering cycle did not significantly alter the distribution of roots. Conclusions Hardsetting restricts root access to deeper water only under prolonged dry conditions, indicating that its field impact is strongly moderated by moisture dynamics. This interaction likely explains variable crop responses to deep ripping in sandy, hardsetting soils.

Details

Title: Cereal root growth in a sandy soil with a hardsetting subsurface horizon was restricted only under dry conditions
Authors: Stephen Lang (Corresponding Author) - The University of Adelaide
Timothy Cavagnaro - Flinders University
David Chittleborough - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Ehsan Tavakkoli - The University of Adelaide
Nigel Wilhelm - South Australian Research and Development Institute
Publication details: Plant and Soil, Vol.517, pp.1655-1672
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1007/s11104-025-07946-x
ISSN: 1573-5036; 0032-079X
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991175024802621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Agronomy; Plant Sciences; Soil Science

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