In the daily management of viticulture, the management of flowers and fruits is often the most concerned part of the grape growers, but the management of roots, leaves, branches, etc., as well as the control of pests and diseases, are often neglected.
The root is the "interface" between the grape and the soil, providing physical support for the grape and responsible for the absorption of water and nutrients. At the same time, the root system is also an important nutrient storage organ, providing nutrients for the growth of early shoots and roots. In addition, the root system is also a source of physiological hormones that regulate shoots.
The roots of the grapes are mainly distributed in layers of soil between 20 and 40 cm deep, with the deepest roots reaching depths of more than one meter. Grape is a deep-rooted plant, if the plant is a seedling, the root system will be a little deeper, the deeper the root system, the more beneficial it is to the growth of the plant, so when planting grapes, you need to pay attention to the soil quality can not be too sticky, otherwise it will affect the growth of grape roots.
1. Root structure and function
The synthesis of roots at all levels constitutes the root system of the plant as a whole.The solid root system usually consists of taproot, lateral root, and fibrous root.The stem-derived root system does not have a taproot.Grapes can form 4-5 lateral roots, and the thinner (less than 2.5 mm in diameter) roots formed on the lateral roots are called fibrous roots, which are the most active parts of the root system and are the main part of the root function.Fibrous roots can be divided into growing roots, absorbent roots, root hairs and conductive roots.
Growing roots: It has a large meristem, grows rapidly, and can extend 1-10 mm per day, which can promote the root system to advance to the new soil layer, extend and expand the distribution range of the root system. The growth period of this type of root is also longer, some can reach more than 70 days.
Evolution process: growing roots, transitional roots, transport roots, basal roots, semi-basal roots.
Absorption of roots: The main function is to absorb water and minerals from the soil and convert them into organic matter, which has a high physiological activity and is also an important part of hormone synthesis, with a huge number, which can account for more than 90% of the root system of the plant. But the lifespan is short, the renewal is rapid, generally only 15-20 days, gradually turning to light gray transitional roots, and dying after a certain time.
Root hairs: It is the main part of the grape root system to absorb nutrients and water, and its life span is from a few days to a few weeks, and it dies with the death of the absorption root and the cork of the growing root.
Conduction root: The main function is to transport water and nutrients, and play a fixed role, and also has the ability to absorb.
Important Tips:
(1) The root system has a lifespan, and it can survive for several weeks under better conditions. It provides a basis for the application of root-promoting fertilizers.
(2) Absorbent roots and root hairs are the main root systems that absorb water and nutrients.
2. Growth and distribution of roots
The root system is widely distributed and highly branched, and the distribution area far exceeds the supporting leaf canopy.
Mature vines have a root system of more than 100 kilometres in length and a surface area of more than 100 square metres.
(1). Annual growth dynamics
Grape roots do not go dormant naturally, as long as the conditions are right, the roots can grow all year round, and root absorption can occur at any time. Root growth shows cyclical changes throughout the year, with three main growth peaks.
(2). Before and after the grape budding
At this time, the soil temperature is low, the roots grow vegetatively by slowly absorbing water, and the grapes reach their peak growth after leaf development, and then gradually decrease, reaching a minimum in the first half of the flowering month.
(3). After grape fruit set
At this time, as the fruit expands, the secondary shoots are extracted, and the branches are vigorous, the nutrients of the whole vine need to reach the peak of the year, so the corresponding root growth also reaches the peak of the year.
(4).After grape picking
The vines began to grow vegetatively, and the roots gradually returned to their vigorous growth in autumn. Seize the peak period of grape root growth for management, and apply fertilizer and medication in time. It has the effect of multiplier with half the effort in terms of high and stable grape yield.
3. Soil and root growth for grape planting
The soil pH value should not be less than 5 and not greater than 7, and the soil rich in organic matter, soft, breathable, and disease-free soil will grow good roots. Improving the existing soil conditions to this extent requires a long period of time and a large investment, and it is difficult to achieve this in a short period of time.
Wide row dense planting is a more compromise method, wide row can provide convenience for mechanization, ventilation and light transmission will also be good. Dense planting can be a little smaller per plant, the frame shape can also be smaller, and the root system that matches the size of the tree can be correspondingly smaller, so that the soil conditions around the root system can be better first, and the investment is relatively small and the time requirement is not too long.
Pests and diseases should also be well controlled, mainly nematodes (new shoots turn yellow, and then the old leaves turn yellow one by one), maggots, needleworms (the edges of the medium leaves are yellow and "gilded"), and rotten roots (there are no new roots, and the old roots are rotten).
The first step is to irrigate the roots with fungicides, and the second step is to rebuild the soil ecology and flush the root fertilizer of beneficial microorganisms.