- Proteoid root
Proteoid roots, also known as cluster roots, are
plant root s that form clusters of closely spaced short lateral rootlets. They may form a two to five centimetre thick mat just beneath the leaf litter. They enhance nutrient uptake, possibly by chemically modifying the soil environment to improve nutrient solubilisation.cite journal | author = Grierson, P.F. and P. M. Attiwill | year = 1989 | title = Chemical characteristics of the proteoid root mat of Banksia integrifolia L.[ sic] | journal =Australian Journal of Botany | volume = 37 | pages = 137–143 | doi = 10.1071/BT9890137 ] As a result, plants with proteoid roots can grow in soil that is very low in nutrients, such as thephosphorus -deficient native soils ofAustralia .They were first described by
Adolf Engler in 1894, after he discovered them on plants of the familyProteaceae growing inLeipzig Botanic Gardens . In 1960, Helen Purnell examined 44 species from ten Proteaceae genera, finding proteoid roots in every genus except "Persoonia "; she then coined the name "proteoid roots" in reference to the plant family in which it was known to occur.cite journal | author = Purnell, Helen M. | year = 1960 | title = Studies of the family Proteaceae: I. Anatomy and morphology of the roots of some Victorian species | journal =Australian Journal of Botany | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | pages = 38–50 | doi = 10.1071/BT9600038] Proteoid roots are now known to occur in 27 different Proteaceae genera, plus around 30 species from other families, includingBetulaceae ,Casuarinaceae ,Eleagnaceae ,Leguminosae ,Moraceae andMyricaceae . Similar structures also occur in species ofCyperaceae andRestionaceae , but theirphysiology is yet to be studied.cite journal | author = Watt, Michelle and John R. Evans | year = 1999 | title = Proteoid roots. Physiology and development | journal =Plant Physiology | volume = 121 | pages = 317–323 | url = http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/121/2/317.pdf | accessdate = 2006-11-07 | doi = 10.1104/pp.121.2.317]Some Proteaceae, such as "
Banksia " and "Grevillea ", are valued by thehorticulture andfloriculture industries. In cultivation, only slow-release low-phosphorusfertilizer s should be used, as higher levels cause phosphorus toxicity and sometimesiron deficiency, leading to plant death. Crop management should minimise root disturbance, and weed control should be via slashing or contact herbicides.
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