SOIL PORES SIZE AND ROOT AND SHOOT GROWTH OF JALAPEÑO PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

Crops root system is fundamental to the plant’s life; its growth is associated with soil strength and soil pore size. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the root thickness regard the pores size of the soil and their effect on the shoot growth. We hypothesized that there is a minimum pore size below which roots cannot grow. Evaluations were performed in Jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) plants grown in tubes filled with different sand particle sizes. The experimental design was completely randomized with five treatments, five replications, and one plant as an experimental unit. After 90 d of cultivation, the average root diameter and dry biomass of the shoots were determined. The latter was lower in the coarse particle sand, probably due to its low capacity to retain moisture. The roots did not penetrate sand with a particle size of less than 0.420 mm and its growth was restricted to the annular space between the sand and the pot. This affected the aerial biomass production and some roots decreased (9 %) their natural thickness and entered smaller diameter pores.