The Study Of Branch And Root Morphometrics Of Medicago Falcata

Medicago falcata is rich in nutrition and tolerant to drought, cold, salt and alkali, and has good palatability. It takes an important role on resolving the problem that lack of protein in feed, as well as the soil fertility degradation problem. According to the actuality of researches on M. falcata, we conducted two experiments. First, the branch morphological characteristics of internal M. falcata L.CV.Humeng were studied, which was compared with the internal M. sativa L.CV.Aohan; another experiment was about the root morphological characteristics of internal M. falcata (M. falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.falcata L.CV.Ximeng) and M. falcata L.CV.Syulinskaya from Russian, which was compared with M.sativa L.CV.Gongnong No.2. The purposes of our experiments were to provide some scientific information for selecting eminent cultivars with high resistance and to adding some theoretical basis to further study on M. falcate. Major conclusions are as follows:1. From branching period to pod-bearing period, the first-order branch length of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.sativa L.CV.Aohan increased along with the increasing of growth period. The branch of M.sativa L.CV.Aohan was shorter than that of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng at any stage.2. The crown diameter of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.sativa L.CV.Aohan increased as the age of plants increased.3. The crown depth below the soil surface of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.sativa L.CV.Aohan increased as the age of plants increased.4. The primary root length of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.sativa L.CV.Aohan increased as the age of plants increased. The diameter of primary root changed regularly in each layer of soil. The diameter of root decreased as the depth increasing, and accorded with the distribution law of power function.5. More than 60% of primary root biomass of the materials in this study distributed in the shallow surface layer (0-20cm). The biomass of primary root in 0-10cm layer had the biggest percentage of the total. The biomass of primary root decreased as the soil depth increasing from 10-20cm.6. The biomass percentage of lateral root of M.falcata L.CV.Humeng and M.sativa L.CV.Aohan increased as the age of plants increased.7. According to the vertical distribution of lateral root, most of them were in 0-10cm layer. The number of lateral root in 0-10cm layer was more than 60 percent of the total number.