Talk:Root

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Sadierath.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 08:21, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Untitled

It would be interesting that someone could say something about how the roots work and what is the function of the aerial roots in some trees, e.g. Ficus.

---

I expanded the heck out of a stub article on Aerial roots, and made a link. --Thaadd 22:03, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

It would also be useful to have a list of nutrients and how they generally help/hinder root development.

it would also be helpful if u have root functions

---

Re the photo of maize "prop roots", the article does not describe such a thing as a "prop root", and I wonder if these should actually be called "stilt roots", which are described. 76.14.154.14 (talk) 18:09, 6 April 2014 (UTC)

I was wondering... in the 'see also' section, since there is a link to "fibrous root system"... shouldn't there be links to taproot, aerial roots and adventitious roots too?

---

id like to know about surface cells and cel,l division

--- I'd like to support the first comment in that I think the portions of page attributed to the actual absorptive functions of roots is lacking. I'd also like to see a short note about legumes and their nitrogen fixing capabilities __________________________ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.173.176.140 (talk) 00:49, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

I believe the opening paragraph contains incorrect information about roots that contain lemon and cause leprosy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.64.132.17 (talk) 03:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

deepest roots: contradictory information given inthe article

The passage about rooting depths in text contradicts the following table.

To solve this: has anyone access to Jennings CMH (1974) The hydrology of Botswana. PhD thesis, Univeristy of Natal, South Africa? It's cited as source in Canadell et al. (1996) (see references) and, by context, identified as a living root.

Key qotes: [...] "in some instances, roots of woody species have been seen exceptionally deep in the soil. This is the case of Boscia albitrunca and Acacia erioloba whose roots have been found at a depth of 68 m and 60 m, respectively, in the central Kalahari, Botswana (Jennings 1974)," [...]

and

[...] "The presence of water at deep layers makes it possible for some plants to survive [...] by tapping water from layers as deep as [...] 68 m deep, possibly even from 140 m deep where the water table was located, in the dry savanna of the central Kalahari (Jennings 1974). [...]

Note the suggestion of getting Water out of depths between 68 (and possibly 140 m), meaning these are living roots reported. I can't get my hands on the thesis without an effort, would appreciate if someone could veryfy this and update the text.

[Disclaimer: the quotation above is from the original paper, which is cited in a scientifically proper way and reduced to the neccessary minimum. This is, by national and international standards, not offending authors or publishers copyright.]

cheers,

Botanischwili (talk) 10:15, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Came to comment the same issue. Anyone aware of continued work in this area in the past 50 years? JohnC1423 (talk) 19:47, 11 May 2026 (UTC)

File:Root-system.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

An image used in this article, File:Root-system.jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion at Wikimedia Commons for the following reason: Copyright violations What should I do? Don't panic; deletions can take a little longer at Commons than they do on Wikipedia. This gives you an opportunity to contest the deletion (although please review Commons guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page. If the image is non-free then you may need to upload it to Wikipedia (Commons does not allow fair use) If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale then it cannot be uploaded or used. If the image has already been deleted you may want to try Commons Undeletion Request To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:Root-system.jpg) This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 20:29, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Tap Roots

In most of the dicot plants', the direct elongation of the radicle leads to the formation of primary root. It bears lateral roots of several orders that are referred to as secondary, tertiary, etc. roots. The primary roots and its branches constitute the tap root system'Eg:- mustard plant — Preceding unsigned comment added by Niharika birla (talk • contribs) 06:57, 28 July 2016 (UTC)

Mag bar on Ranunculus root image

The mag/scale bar on the Ranunculus root image seems like it may be incorrect. Opioions? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:8805:BD81:600:FDA4:EFA3:575B:2BC9 (talk) 22:53, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

It does seem pretty suspicious. Iamnotabunny (talk) 23:33, 24 October 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Profile of an adult Araucaria heterophylla with its roots system, Auckland-New Zealand, hand drawing Axel Aucouturier.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:23, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

"Root!" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Root! has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 December 6 § Root! until a consensus is reached. cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 20:09, 6 December 2024 (UTC)

Suggestion to add research on physical soil-root interactions

Hello editors, I am an author of a study on root mechanics and would like to suggest an addition to this article. Due to my conflict of interest, I am proposing the edit here for a neutral editor to review.

I believe my team's research would be a valuable addition to the "Soil interactions" section, as it details the physical mechanics of how roots penetrate compacted soil.

I suggest adding the following paragraph to that section:

The physical mechanics of how roots penetrate hard or compacted soils is a key aspect of soil interaction. Recent research using a root analog, a device designed to mimic the shape and pressure of a real root tip, has provided new insights into this process. These studies, using synchrotron X-ray imaging and diffraction, revealed that as the analog tip penetrates the soil, it creates a "plastic zone" immediately ahead of it. In this zone, soil particles yield and flow around the tip, a mechanism thought to be more efficient than using simple axial force. This highlights how roots may physically engineer their local soil environment to facilitate growth through it.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Jazzymonster2025 (talk) 10:45, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

References