I cant' find much about tomato fine roots respiration. I was wondering if tomato roots kept under water can emit O2 trasferred via aerenchyma from the leaves.
*Steven et al. (1990) reports the development of adventitious roots and on lower stems of flooded tomato plants.
*Kawase et al. (1980; Am. J. Botany) observed the development of aerenchyma in the roots and stems of waterlogged Lycopersicon esculentum Mill cv, 42-3. So at least theoretically O2 root emission seems to be possible.
Is it possible to look at this way....
It is very common for new hydroponic practitioners to have an over developed focus on the nutrient aspects of their cultures while totally neglecting other very important aspects such as aeration and light. Some of the most common problems that plants face are a direct consequence of a lack of a proper supply of oxygen, issues which could easily be fixed if this factor was taken into account with as much interest as the composition and character of the hydroponic nutrients used.
Oxygen reacts with carbohydrates within any aerobic organism's organelles to produce ATP, which is the primary chemical used to fuel biochemical processes. Plants need this ATP to perform several functions which require energy, like the absorption of nutrients and the production of amino acids. Plants need great amounts of oxygen in their roots in such an extent that one of the limiting factors of growth in hydroponics - after light - is oxygen availability to root cells. These roots , which we claim are so poorly developed , could be due to lower suppply of oxygen ..... -
Growing under hydroponics is distinctively different to waterlogged field. Whenever , you use the word waterlogged , an anoxia like conditions will prevail ...Hypothesis ..no problem Mirco , go ahead. It remains to be seen , whether or not , there is greater development of aerenchyma under hydroponics than field grown tomato or otherwise...
Under these wet conditions diffusion of oxygen to the root system is assumed to be the limiting factor for root respiration and hence for growth and development of plants. Different from field conditions where flood can periodically cause oxygen deficiency, plants grown on artificial substrates are permanently supplied with suboptimal amounts of oxygen.
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