Citation
A quantitative study of the roots and root hairs of a winter rye plant
TL;DR
Single rye plant has approximately 14 million roots
This foundational study quantified the extraordinary scale of fibrous root systems, demonstrating that a single rye plant can have 14 million roots with 10 billion root hairs, totaling 600 kilometers of root length - all within the top meter of soil.
The research provided empirical evidence for the massive invisible infrastructure that plants build underground, establishing the scientific basis for understanding root-to-shoot ratios and the investment plants make in below-ground systems.
Key Findings from Dittmer (1937)
- Single rye plant has approximately 14 million roots
- Root system includes 10 billion root hairs
- Total root length reaches 600 kilometers
- All root mass concentrated in top meter of soil