Studies on the change of respiratory system in roots in relation to the growth of plants

Abstract

It has been observed that in nitrogen starved rice plants, the length of the root increased and became voluminous. The colour of the root appeared pale. Both the oxygen uptake and the oxidative power of the roots decreased during the vegetative stage of the plant (1, 2, 3). Under conditions of K deficiency, the length of the roots became shorter and the colour was light grayish black. These roots were very susceptible to damage (3). K deficient roots showed a low oxidative power (3, 4), while the uptake of oxygen was high during the vegetative stage of growth of the plant.