Planting density and culture time of wheat seedlings affect their growth rate and exometabolite production

Abstract

The effect of wheat seedling planting density (from 25 to 300 seedlings/70 cm 2 ) and culture time (from day 1 to day 3 in water culture) on quantitative and qualitative composition of root exudates and root growth rate was studied. The number of root border cells per root was assessed. Amount of total protein, high-molecular weight proteins, and carbohydrates, as well as protease activity in root exudates were evaluated. The ‘‘root-microenvironment’’ system was found to be a highly dynamical nonlinear system being a function of the culture duration, planting density and special aspects of transformation of extracellular exometabolites. During culture from day 1 through day 3, variability of the measured parameters increased.