Viewpoint: The perils of pot experiments

Functional Plant Biology : FPB
John B Passioura

Abstract

Experiments with plants in pots can be beset by several often-unrecognised artefacts. The soil or other medium at the bottom of a freshly watered and drained pot is inevitably saturated with water; if the pot is short the whole of the medium may have such little air-filled porosity that it becomes hypoxic. This is an especial problem with field soils used in pots, for these typically do not contain many pores large enough to be drained at the small water suctions that prevail. Such suctions are zero at the bottom of a freshly drained pot and rise by 1 kPa for every 100-mm increment in height, leading to suctions at the top of a typical pot that are much less than the 10-30 kPa that occurs in soils in the field that have drained to 'field capacity'. Commercial potting mixes overcome this problem by using coarse materials in the mix, which create many large pores (>1 mm diameter) that drain at small suctions. Fine potting mixes used for growing Arabidopsis in small pots are likely to lead to hypoxia throughout the pot. Pots in glasshouses may experience temperatures that are substantially higher or lower than the air temperature. Sun striking the sides of dark pots can raise the temperature by several degrees. In heated glasshous...Continue Reading

References

Feb 1, 2003·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Jane Gibbs, Hank Greenway

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 24, 2018·Frontiers in Plant Science·Klára KosováJenny Renaut
Mar 9, 2018·Ecology Letters·Marina Golivets, Kimberly F Wallin
Oct 12, 2018·Plant Methods·Gernot BodnerDaniel Leitner
Jun 13, 2019·Journal of Experimental Botany·Arun K YadavBarry J Pogson
Oct 17, 2019·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Alexander D LevinMark A Matthews
Feb 1, 2017·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Nataliya KovalchukStephan M Haefele
Nov 1, 2012·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Hendrik PoorterJohannes A Postma
Jul 8, 2010·Journal of Experimental Botany·Rana MunnsHamlyn G Jones
Sep 1, 2015·Journal of Experimental Botany·Peter R RyanRichard A James
Jun 6, 2018·Frontiers in Plant Science·Ulrike Bechtold
Nov 1, 2012·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·J B Passioura
May 1, 2013·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Harald HacklUrs Schmidhalter
Aug 1, 2014·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Harald HacklUrs Schmidhalter
Feb 1, 2014·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Greg J RebetzkeNeil A Fettell
Mar 10, 2015·Plant Methods·Cecile Ai RichardJack T Christopher
Jan 7, 2018·TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik·Jean-Pascal TandonnetNathalie Ollat
Aug 2, 2017·The New Phytologist·Andrea CarminatiEmmanuel Delhaize
Jan 23, 2020·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Jacques BrissonRaphaël Proulx
Feb 1, 2017·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Md HasanuzzamanSergey Shabala
Aug 16, 2008·Journal of Experimental Botany·Ali IzanlooThorsten Schnurbusch
Mar 29, 2014·Journal of Integrative Plant Biology·Richard PoiréRobert T Furbank
Jun 4, 2016·Plant, Cell & Environment·Celia M Rodriguez-DominguezAntonio Diaz-Espejo
Feb 23, 2020·Frontiers in Plant Science·Jessica SchmidtDelphine Fleury
Oct 16, 2019·Journal of Experimental Botany·Justyna Jadwiga OlasFederico Apelt
Nov 1, 2012·Functional Plant Biology : FPB·Hendrik PoorterThijs L Pons

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.