Rooting pattern and distribution of absorbing roots of papaya (Carica papaya L.) var. Eksotika

M. Masri

Abstract

The rooting pattern and distribution of absorbing roots of irrigated, matured papaya (Carica papaya L.) grown on sandy loam soil were investigated. Root length density was used to characterize root distribution while number of root tips was used to indicate the absorbing parts of roots. Both root length density and number of root tip distributions are independent of each other with respect to soil depths and positions from the tree trunk. Root length density and number of root tips decreased vertically with soil depth and horizontally from the trunk. More than 90% of root and root tips were confined to the top 30 cm soil layer while more than 80% of them were located within 45 cm from the tree trunk. Penetration of roots was almost negligible at soil depths deeper than 45 cm. About 10% of roots were found beyond 60 cm from the trunk. Distribution of roots was found to be homogeneous around the tree.

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