The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

Root extension is the most important growth change that occurs during cultivation. We analyzed growth changes according to young seedling age, temperature, and the degree of root cutting in order to identify factors affecting rooting after transplanting. Root cutting did not affect plant height growth rate, root growth rate was increased in plants that experienced root cutting, and 14-day-old seedlings exhibited a higher growth rate than 7-day-old seedlings. Growth temperature experiments revealed that elongation was high at 25°C and 28°C, but tended to be low at 18°C, and root elongation was high at 22–28°C for 7-day-old seedlings and 22–25°C for 14-day-old seedlings. Nitrogen absorption decreased in the following growth temperature order: 25, 28, 22, 18°C, and differences in nitrogen absorption under different growth temperatures tended to be lower in 7-day-old seedlings. The amount of nitrogen taken up by roots did not differ significantly between the short root treatment and the control, and 7-day-old seedlings tended to start nitrogen absorption faster than 14-day-old seedlings. Root vitality was highest in short-rooted 7-day-old seedlings with 3 cm of root remaining, and vitality also tended to be high in short-rooted 14-day-old seedlings.