Root system of common painço cultivars as response of liming

Abstract

The root growth is genetically controlled. There is variability among cultivars and soil factors such as toxicant Al and low contents of Ca and Mg can harm it. The objective of this study was to evaluate the root growth and the shoot growth of painço cultivars in response to liming. The experiment was carried out in pots with 3 dm³ of soil, in greenhouse conditions until 62 days after the emergence of the plants. The used experimental design was completely randomized, in a 2x4 factorial scheme, that is to say, two painço cultivars (AL Mogi e AL Tibagi), and four level of calcareous (0,0, ,67, 2,9 and 4,5 t ha^-), with four replications. Liming promotes increase of the root system and of the aerial parts of the cultivars. The AL Tibagi cultivar presents a root system more tolerant to the low saturation by bases in comparison to the AL Mogi, however, the maximum root growth was occurred in saturations at around 64%. Painço cultivars in high acidity conditions reduce root diameter at the expense of the growth in length.