GRAFTING OF TREE ROOT SYSTEMS 2. ECOLOGY, BIOLOGY, MODELING
V. A. Usoltsev1,2
1Ural State Forestry Engineering University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
2Ural State Economic University
Keywords: grafting of tree roots, biology and ecology of grafting, the movement of substances through grafting, live stumps, models of the functioning of grafting
Abstract
The competition of trees for light, moisture and nutrients is usually considered as the main factor of interaction between trees, but this idea is questioned by examples of cooperation or cooperation through natural root grafting. In connection with the discussion of the phenomenon of plant root grafting, the most important question in biology about the relationship between individual species and individuals within a species has been developed. The importance of root grafting lies in its ability to influence the physiology and ecology of grafted trees, however, the processes contributing to the formation of root grafting, the factors involved and their effects are unknown. The question of whether the root grafting is accidental or a natural phenomenon is still controversial. The effect of live stumps on a growing tree remains uncertain. It is known that root grafting provides increased mechanical stability of trees in their resistance to wind and is associated with factors such as variability in root morphology, soil structure and moisture, as well as the degree of mutual root overlap. The frequency of root grafting increases both with the age of the stand and with its density. Pathogens, minerals, carbohydrates, hormones, herbicides, microorganisms and water flow through root grafting, but these processes actually have no quantitative basis. Modeling of water flows between grafted trees in mangrove forests at the quantitative level showed that there is no water exchange between trees of the same size or there is an insignificant amount; water movement occurs from the dominant tree to the oppressed one; water movement occurs from a tree growing in humid conditions to a tree growing in non-scarce conditions, and the amount of water received, compared to its own consumption, it is higher if the partner tree is larger. A quantitative approach to assessing the biological and ecological role of root grafting lays the foundation for understanding their impact on the formation and productivity of a stand.
|
