Abstract
The classical model of plant root nutrient uptake due to Nye, Tinker and Barber is developed and extended. We provide an explicit closed formula for the uptake by a single cylindrical root for all cases of practical interest by solving the absorption-diffusion equation for the soil nutrient concentration asymptotically in the limit of large time. We then use this single root model as a building block to construct a model which allows for root size distribution in a more realistic plant root system, and we include the effects of root branching and growth. The results are compared with previous theoretical and experimental studies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 347-360 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Mathematical Biology |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2001 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Mathematical model
- Plant nutrient uptake
- Root system