High-throughput phenotyping of seminal root traits in wheat
- PDF / 1,698,063 Bytes
- 11 Pages / 595.276 x 793.701 pts Page_size
- 83 Downloads / 233 Views
PLANT METHODS
METHODOLOGY
Open Access
High-throughput phenotyping of seminal root traits in wheat Cecile AI Richard1*, Lee T Hickey1, Susan Fletcher2, Raeleen Jennings2, Karine Chenu3 and Jack T Christopher4
Abstract Background: Water availability is a major limiting factor for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in rain-fed agricultural systems worldwide. Root system architecture has important functional implications for the timing and extent of soil water extraction, yet selection for root architectural traits in breeding programs has been limited by a lack of suitable phenotyping methods. The aim of this research was to develop low-cost high-throughput phenotyping methods to facilitate selection for desirable root architectural traits. Here, we report two methods, one using clear pots and the other using growth pouches, to assess the angle and the number of seminal roots in wheat seedlings– two proxy traits associated with the root architecture of mature wheat plants. Results: Both methods revealed genetic variation for seminal root angle and number in the panel of 24 wheat cultivars. The clear pot method provided higher heritability and higher genetic correlations across experiments compared to the growth pouch method. In addition, the clear pot method was more efficient – requiring less time, space, and labour compared to the growth pouch method. Therefore the clear pot method was considered the most suitable for large-scale and high-throughput screening of seedling root characteristics in crop improvement programs. Conclusions: The clear-pot method could be easily integrated in breeding programs targeting drought tolerance to rapidly enrich breeding populations with desirable alleles. For instance, selection for narrow root angle and high number of seminal roots could lead to deeper root systems with higher branching at depth. Such root characteristics are highly desirable in wheat to cope with anticipated future climate conditions, particularly where crops rely heavily on stored soil moisture at depth, including some Australian, Indian, South American, and African cropping regions. Keywords: Wheat breeding, Root angle, Root number, Adaptation, Drought
Background Drought is a major limiting factor of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production world-wide [1]. Water deficit during critical periods of crop development such as grain filling, can greatly impact yield stability and productivity in rain-fed agricultural systems. Traditional wheat breeding relies heavily on selection for yield per se and has contributed to significant increases in yield. However, the rate of genetic progress has slowed in recent years [2]. Yield is a quantitative trait under complex genetic control, characterized by low heritability and high genotype by environment (G × E) interactions, particularly in drought environments [3]. Physiological approaches based on proxy traits, can offer higher heritability and lower G × E interactions than selection * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 The University of Queensland, QAAFI, St L
Data Loading...
