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Phenotyping for Root Traits

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Phenomics in Crop Plants: Trends, Options and Limitations

Abstract

Root system architecture determines crop capacity to acquire water and nutrients in the dynamic and variable soil environment. Increasing attention is paid to searching for optimal root traits to improve resource uptake efficiency and adaptation to heterogeneous soil conditions. This chapter summarises genetic variability and plasticity in root traits relevant to increased efficiency of soil resource acquisition. Approaches available for high-throughput phenotyping of root architecture traits at both laboratory and field scales are critically assessed. The advent of several novel imaging technologies such as X-ray computed tomography coupled with image-analysing software packages offers a great opportunity to non-invasively assess root architecture and its interactions with soil environments. The use of three-dimensional structure–function simulation root models is complementary to phenotyping methods, providing assistance in the crop breeding programmes. We also discuss applications and limitations of these novel visualisation technologies in characterising root growth and the root–soil interactions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP130104825) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31471946).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, School of Earth and Environment, and The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Ying Long Chen & Zed Rengel

  2. Department for Maize, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Ivica Djalovic

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  1. Ying Long Chen
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  2. Ivica Djalovic
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  3. Zed Rengel
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Correspondence to Zed Rengel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR - Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Jitendra Kumar

  2. Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR - Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Aditya Pratap

  3. Rabat - Instituts, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Rabat, Morocco

    Shiv Kumar

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Chen, Y.L., Djalovic, I., Rengel, Z. (2015). Phenotyping for Root Traits. In: Kumar, J., Pratap, A., Kumar, S. (eds) Phenomics in Crop Plants: Trends, Options and Limitations. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2226-2_8

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