Question

Root pruning is also called as...

• A. Root modification
• B. Wrenching
• C. Rooting
• D. Pricking out

Hint:

Wrenching is a key nursery practice for bare-root seedlings, used to "harden off" seedlings and prepare them for transplanting stress by halting stem growth and promoting root mass.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In forest nurseries, producing high-quality seedlings with a high shoot-to-root ratio and a compact, fibrous root system is essential for successful outplanting.
Various mechanical conditioning techniques are applied to seedlings in nursery beds to restrict shoot growth and encourage robust root development.

Step 2: Detailed Explation:
Let us alyze the definitions of the nursery magement terms:
- Wrenching: This is a mechanical root pruning technique where a sharp, horizontal blade is drawn through the soil beneath the nursery seedbed at a predetermined depth.
This action severs the deeply penetrating taproots of the seedlings.
Following root severance, the blade is slightly tilted to lift the soil bed, creating aerated cracks around the roots.
This process restricts rapid height growth and stimulates the development of a highly branched, compact, and fibrous lateral root system.
This improves seedling survival rates after field transplantation.
- Root Modification: A general biological term for roots adapting to perform specialized functions (e.g., prop roots, pneumatophores).
- Pricking out: The process of transplanting young, delicate seedlings from a crowded germition bed or tray into individual nursery containers or wider spacing in transplant beds.

Step 3: Fil Answer:
The nursery root-pruning technique that restricts taproot growth and lifts the soil is called wrenching.
Hence, the correct option is (B).