Chapters authored
Phosphorus Efficient Phenotype of Rice
The ideal phenotype to cope with P deficiency is suggested to be a larger root system, both in terms of length and foraging area, coupled with a high capacity for P solubilization from compounds exuded from roots. Greater soil exploration results in a large number of roots in the top soil, longer roots in general with more cortical aerenchyma, more and longer root hairs, and a shift in mycorrhizal and bacterial colonization. However, these assumptions often result from experiments in highly controlled, sterile and soil-free conditions using model plants or single ecotypes where results are then extrapolated to all genotypes and plant species. In recent years this generalization has been questioned. Here, we summarize recent rice research analyzing the natural diversity of rice root systems under P deficiency. Interestingly, while some of the high yielding genotypes do show the expected, large root system phenotype, some have a surprisingly small root system—as little as a quarter of that of the large root system varieties—but achieve similar yield and P uptake under P deficiency. This effect has recently been termed root efficiency, which we discuss in this chapter in conjunction with root foraging traits.
Part of the book: Rice Crop
How Sorghum Root Traits Can Contribute to Cereal Yield Increase
In recent decades the effects of climate change became more visible and the problems it causes for agricultural production and yield maintenance. Future crops need to be higher yielding than today, but at the same time more resilient to drought and increased temperatures, especially in drought-prone regions with erratic precipitation. Sorghum, more heat and drought tolerant than maize, presents an interesting candidate for potential genetic material to provide this increased resilience, containing traits and the underlying genetic loci conferring better performance. Compared to the above-ground tissues, root systems are less investigated, but an improvement in this “hidden half” also improves yield. Due to their close relationship, findings in sorghum may be easily incorporated into maize breeding programs. In this chapter we will review recent literature on sorghum and other cereal root system improvements and provide unpublished data on the natural variation of sorghum root development.
Part of the book: Cereal Grains