4.1 Root channels
Soil porosity is a sine qua non of soil, and root channels are an
important part of soil macropores in the soil system. Root distribution
of Jerusalem artichoke was influenced by soil salt content, water
content, pH, and other factors (Hartle, Fernandez & Nowak, 2006). In
the present study, the root system of Jerusalem artichoke had the best
growth under moderate salt stress. Jerusalem artichoke avoided salt
damage by not extending roots to deep soil, so most of the root system
of NY-1 mainly grew in the soil layer 75-175 mm deep. Hence, the root
distribution pattern reflected the adaptive mechanisms of Jerusalem
artichoke under salinity stress. Root channels represent a complex
interface that is not only the living space of plant roots, microbes and
soil animals, but also plays an important role in dynamics of water,
nutrients, gas, heat, and other factors in soil (Gupta et al., 2008;
Gupta, Naushad & Baker, 2015; Wang, Zhang, Yang, Li & Liu, 2018). The
root channels of Jerusalem artichoke improved the physical structure of
saline soil and provided basic conditions for the optimization of the
soil micro-ecological environment.