ABSTRACT
Soil temperature changes have a significant impact on the growth and development of plant root systems and ultimately on overall plant productivity. Numerous reviews have been written on the relationships of low and/or high temperatures on specific plant functions ranging from nutrient uptake and utilization to photosynthesis and carbon partitioning. Many of these topics were covered in the first edition of this book (Bowen, 1991). In our previous chapter (McMichael and Burke, 1996) we discussed the concepts of optimal temperature for root growth, genetic diversity in the response of plant roots to temperature, the temperature stresses encountered in soil environments, and the way these relate to the changes in root metabolic activity and ultimate crop yields. In the present chapter we shall update those topics as well as discuss some aspects of the impact of temperature on the interactions of plant roots with soil organisms, specifically with mycorrhizal associations.
