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Root Growth Of Two Perennial Grass Types And Musk Thistle (Carduus Nutans) In Temperate Grasslands Of North America, Chengchou Han, Stephen L. Young

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Root architecture of prairie grasslands, which depends on plant phenology and edaphic conditions, strongly influences susceptibility to invasion by nonindigenous plant species. Field studies were conducted to compare in situ root growth patterns of warm-season (WS) and cool-season (CS) perennial grasses and musk thistle during a 2-yr period that included a drought in the second year. In 2 yr, CS grasses had the highest amount of roots (1,296 m roots m^–2 [395 ft roots ft^–2]) across shallow (0 to 28 cm [0 to 11 in.]), medium (28 to 56 cm), and deep (56 to 98 cm) depths …