Large root systems: are they useful in adapting wheat to dry environments?
Jairo A. Palta A E , Xing Chen A B , Stephen P. Milroy A , Greg J. Rebetzke C , M. Fernanda Dreccer D and Michelle Watt C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO Plant Industry, Private Bag No. 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia.
B Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, Sichuan 625014, China.
C CSIRO Plant Industry, PO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
D CSIRO Plant Industry, Cooper Laboratory, Warrego Highway, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: jairo.palta@csiro.au
This paper was presented at the 2nd International Workshop on Ecosystem Assessment and Management on ‘Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystem Management in Dry Areas’ held from 19 to 25 July 2010 at Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Functional Plant Biology 38(5) 347-354 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP11031
Submitted: 28 January 2011 Accepted: 24 March 2011 Published: 2 May 2011
Abstract
There is little consensus on whether having a large root system is the best strategy in adapting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to water-limited environments. We explore the reasons for the lack of consensus and aim to answer the question of whether a large root system is useful in adapting wheat to dry environments. We used unpublished data from glasshouse and field experiments examining the relationship between root system size and their functional implication for water capture. Individual root traits for water uptake do not describe a root system as being large or small. However, the recent invigoration of the root system in wheat by indirect selection for increased leaf vigour has enlarged the root system through increases in root biomass and length and root length density. This large root system contributes to increasing the capture of water and nitrogen early in the season, and facilitates the capture of additional water for grain filling. The usefulness of a vigorous root system in increasing wheat yields under water-limited conditions maybe greater in environments where crops rely largely on seasonal rainfall, such as the Mediterranean-type environments. In environments where crops are reliant on stored soil water, a vigorous root system increases the risk of depleting soil water before completion of grain filling.
Additional keywords: root biomass, root length, root length density, root system size, water capture.
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