%0 Research article
%T Anchorage and asymmetry in the root system of Pinus peuce
%A Mickovski, Slobodan B.
%A Ennos, A. Roland
%D 2003
%J Silva Fennica
%V 37
%N 2
%R doi:10.14214/sf.498
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/498
%X The relationship between the anchorage mechanics and root architecture  of Pinus peuce was investigated by carrying out winching tests and  examining excavated root systems of 20 mature trees. The root system was  dominated by 6.1±1.3 lateral roots, more than 70% of the lateral root  cross sectional area (CSA) being distributed in the uppermost 10 cm of  soil. Anchorage strength was related to the size of the tree and CSA.  The overturning moment of trees was proportional to the diameter at  breast height (DBH) to the power of 1.6. The trees exhibited significant  asymmetry in anchorage rigidity, but although there was clustering of  lateral roots in a preferred direction the root asymmetry was not  significantly correlated with the asymmetry in anchorage rigidity,  suggesting that much of the anchorage is provided by tap and sinker  roots, rather than the laterals. However, the major laterals showed  dorsoventral eccentricity, the more eccentric ones being those that were  distributed closer to the soil surface and which pointed perpendicular  to the direction of greatest resistance. This suggests that this is a  result of thigmomorphogenetic effects. These results are compared with  those for the related P. sylvestris and suggest that the assimilation  and anchorage characteristics of root systems are controlled  independently of each other.