Larry York, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Amy Hays, Adult Education Manager write in the latest issue of the Noble news and views about Roots.

We all know roots are important to the plant even if we don’t always see them and a lot of what they do remains hidden. In our work at Noble Research Institute, we see that producers are very interested in learning more about roots.

There are some good ideas out there, but there are also some misconceptions. Here we’ll do some myth busting based on common questions and ideas encountered with producers.

MYTH 1:

Balls of roots are always good when you pull up a plant.

All else being equal, we can say that more roots are better. However, all else is not equal and there are negative reasons why plants might produce extra roots. First, roots are very costly to the plant — 50% of the sugar the plant makes from photosynthesis is typically used for root construction and maintenance. Therefore, it’s very important that plants balance giving just the right amount to building the right size and shape root system to drive plant growth. Fact is, if a plant only invested in roots and not leaves, it would not live very long. As mentioned, there are negative reasons that roots might proliferate. For example, it’s well known that roots proliferate in order to scavenge for water and nutrients. Therefore, very prolific root systems may indicate soil or plant deficiencies that may actually be limiting plant growth. If a main root is damaged by disease, worms or insects, it often has more lateral (or branch) roots.