title: A mathematical model of plant nutrient uptake.
abstract: The classical model of plant root nutrient uptake due to Nye. Tinker and Barber is developed and extended. We provide an explicit closed formula for the uptake by a single cylindrical root for all cases of practical interest by solving the absorption-diffusion equation for the soil nutrient concentration asymptotically in the limit of large time. We then use this single root model as a building block to construct a model which allows for root size distribution in a more realistic plant root system, and we include the effects of root branching and growth. The results are compared with previous theoretical and experimental studies.
authors.affiliation: Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, 24-29 St. Giles', Oxford OX1 3LB, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roose
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Darrah
mesh_terms: D008432:Mathematical Computing; D008954:Models, Biological; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D012987:Soil; D003313:Zea mays / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil