Gao Chao, Li Mingsi, Li Dongwei
College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
College of Water Conservancy and Architecture Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2023 Apr 21;14:1080234. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1080234. eCollection 2023.
Planting spacing plays a key role in the root system architecture of the cotton group under local irrigation. This study used the Cellular Automata (CA) theory to establish a root visualization model for the cotton group at two different planting spacing (30 and 15 cm) within a leaching-pond. At a planting spacing of 30 cm, the lateral roots grew almost horizontally toward the irrigation point, and a logarithmic relationship was observed between root length density and soil water suction. However, at a planting spacing of 15 cm, the lateral roots exhibited overlapping growth and mainly competed for resources, and a power function relationship was observed between root length density and soil water suction. The main parameters of the visualization model for each treatment were essentially consistent with the experimental observations, with respective simulation errors were 6.03 and 15.04%. The findings suggest that the correlation between root length density and soil water suction in the cotton plants is a crucial driving force for the model, leading to a more accurate replication of the root structure development pathway. In conclusion, the root system exhibits a certain degree of self-similarity, which extends into the soil.
种植间距在局部灌溉条件下对棉花群体根系构型起着关键作用。本研究运用元胞自动机（CA）理论，针对渗滤池内两种不同种植间距（30厘米和15厘米）的棉花群体建立根系可视化模型。在30厘米的种植间距下，侧根几乎水平向灌溉点生长，且根系长度密度与土壤吸力之间呈现对数关系。然而，在15厘米的种植间距下，侧根表现出重叠生长且主要竞争资源，根系长度密度与土壤吸力之间呈现幂函数关系。各处理可视化模型的主要参数与实验观测结果基本一致，各自的模拟误差分别为6.03%和15.04%。研究结果表明，棉花植株根系长度密度与土壤吸力之间的相关性是该模型的关键驱动力，使得根系结构发育途径得到更准确的再现。总之，根系系统呈现出一定程度的自相似性，并延伸至土壤中。
