Types of Root Systems

Everyone knows that any plant is fixed in the soil thanks to roots. In addition, this important underground organ feeds the plant, providing it with mineral substances. The roots of the plant are of three kinds. The main root is the root, which appears on the plant first. Then on the stem (and some plants, even on leaves), additional roots appear. And later lateral roots grow from additional and main roots. Together, all kinds of roots constitute the root system of the plant.

Types of root systems in plants

Root systems of all plants are divided into two main types: rod and fibrous. How do you determine what type of root system a particular plant has? The main feature of plants of the core type of the root system is that they have the main root most of all. This type of root system is characteristic of dicotyledons. These include, for example, dandelion, sunflower, beans, they all have a core root system. Birch, beech, pear and many other fruit trees have a root system of the same type. It is easy to determine the stem root system in plants grown from seed. In addition, this type of root system is found in plants with a thickened root, for example, in parsley, carrots, beets and others.

There are representatives of the flora, in which the main root is either absent, or it is almost invisible among the additional roots. In this case, the entire mass of the roots, and this additional and lateral roots, has the appearance of a lobule or a bundle. This type of root system is called fruiting, it is typical for monocotyledonous plants. Vivid representatives of plants with a fibrous root system are corn and rye, wheat and plantain, garlic and onions, gladiolus and tulip. The fibrous root system is very branched. For example, the size of the roots of the fruit tree is more than 3-5 times the diameter of its crown. And the aspen roots grow in different directions for as much as 30 meters!

Possessing a truly unlimited growth potential, the roots of plants in nature, nevertheless, do not grow infinitely. This depends on many factors: insufficient plant nutrition, the presence of branched roots of other plants in the soil, etc. But under favorable conditions a lot of long roots can form in the plant. For example, the case is known when in winter rye, which was grown in a greenhouse, the length of all the roots was 623 km, and their total surface was 130 times larger than the surface of all the aboveground parts of the plant.