The benefits of the Fibrous Root & Taproot Systems
Unseen and buried under the soil, plant roots perform functions that are necessary to a plant’s life. The roots collect nutrients and water for the plant and secure it to the soil. Two basic types of root systems exist. One kind is the taproot, which rises vertically and contains lateral branches. Another kind has fibrous, branching roots that produce a network close to the ground. Some plants have either a taproot or fibrous roots, and other plants mix both systems.
Water and Nutrient Harvesting
Plant roots absorb water through root hairs, which are miniature roots that stretch from the root’s epidermis, or the outer layer of the root. Only one cell thick, they absorb nutrients and water in the soil. Fibrous roots, using their thickly branching system and more various origins, have more surface area and more root hairs than taproot systems do to carry in food and water. Corn (Zea mays) is an illustration of an annual plant with a fibrous root system that harvests large quantities of nutrients and water in the soil, letting it grow over 6 ft tall within a single growing season.
Plant Anchoring
Both water and end behave to expose plant roots or endothelial plants. Fibrous root systems help avoid soil erosion as they anchor plants into the top layers of dirt. Grasses are an illustration of a kind of plant using densely fibrous root systems that keep soil in place. Taproots anchor plants deeply, helping to prevent the wind from blowing them over and ripped plants that grow in regions of shifting soils such as beaches or sand dunes. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale, USDA zones 3 through 9), which are believed to be invasive in many areas, have a strong taproot that retains the plant in position, making it hard to take out the plant once it is established.
Food Storage
Taproots are often altered for food storage. Examples are carrots (Daucus carota) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris). All these annuals have the original, primary taproot altered to store starches and sugars. The food reserves could be drawn upon in order to ensure good growth of a flower stalk and seeds. Perennial plants with taproots such as dandelion use saved food to send up new leaves in the spring. Plants using fibrous root systems generally don’t have roots modified for food storage. Other plants thought of as root crops, such as potato (Solanum tuberosum), aren’t roots, but altered underground stems called tubers. Potatoes are grown as annuals in USDA zones 2 through 11, even though they’re perennial.
Drought Tolerance
A deep taproot helps plants use humidity held in deeper soil layers, and they are able to have great drought resistance compared to fibrous-rooted plants. A good illustration is honey mesquite (Prosopis juliflora), which will be recognized to send its roots down 150 feet to get water. Fibrous roots near the surface of the dirt, however, can occupy water very quickly, helping plants such as saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) glean water from even a mild rain. Saguaros have both a deep taproot and a big fibrous root system. Honey mesquite, which has invasive tendencies, grows in USDA zones 9 through 11 and saguaro, in USDA zones 9a through 10b.