ROOT DISTRIBUTION IN RELATION TO SOIL-NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN FIELD-GROWN TOMATOES

Tomato root growth and distribution were related to inorganic nitrogen (N) availability and turnover to determine 1) if roots were located in soil zones where N supply was highest, and 2) whether roots effectively depleted soil N so that losses of inorganic N were minimized. Tomatoes were direct-seeded in an unfertilized field in Central California. A trench profile/monolith sampling method was used. Concentrations of nitrate (NO3-) exceeded those of ammonium (NH4+) several fold, and differences were greater at the soil surface (0-15 cm) than at lower depths (45-60 cm or 90-120 cm). Ammonium and NO3- levels peaked in April before planting, as did mineralizable N and nitrification potential. Soon afterwards, NO3- concentrations decreased, especially in the lower part of the profile, most likely as a result of leaching after application of irrigation water. Nitrogen pool sizes and rates of microbial processes declined gradually through the summer. Tomato plants utilized only a small percentage of the inorganic N available in the large volume of soil explored by their deep root systems; maximum daily uptake was approximately 3% of the soil pool. Root distribution, except for the zone around the taproot, was uniformly sparse (ca. 0.15 mg dry wt g-1 soil or 0.5 cm g-1 soil) throughout the soil profile regardless of depth, distance from the plant stem, or distance from the irrigation furrow. It bore no relation to N availability. Poor root development, especially in the N-rich top layer of soil, could explain low fertilizer N use by tomatoes.