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Du P, Zhu YH, Weiner J, Sun Z, Li H, Feng T, Li FM. Reduced Root Cortical Tissue with an Increased Root Xylem Investment Is Associated with High Wheat Yields in Central China. Plants (Basel) 2024; 13:1075. [PMID: 38674484 PMCID: PMC11054696 DOI: 10.3390/plants13081075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to understand crop yield improvement, although they have not been widely applied to anatomical traits. Little is known about the relationships between root and leaf anatomy and yield in wheat. We selected 20 genotypes that have been widely planted in Luoyang, in the major wheat-producing area of China, to explore these relationships. A field study was performed to measure the yields and yield components of the genotypes. Root and leaf samples were collected at anthesis to measure the anatomical traits relevant to carbon allocation and water transport. Yield was negatively correlated with cross-sectional root cortex area, indicating that reduced root cortical tissue and therefore reduced carbon investment have contributed to yield improvement in this region. Yield was positively correlated with root xylem area, suggesting that a higher water transport capacity has also contributed to increased yields in this study. The area of the leaf veins did not significantly correlate with yield, showing that the high-yield genotypes did not have larger veins, but they may have had a conservative water use strategy, with tight regulation of water loss from the leaves. This study demonstrates that breeding for higher yields in this region has changed wheat's anatomical traits, reducing the roots' cortical tissue and increasing the roots' xylem investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengzhen Du
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
| | - Yong-He Zhu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;
| | - Jacob Weiner
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark;
| | - Zhengli Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.S.); (H.L.)
| | - Huiquan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.S.); (H.L.)
| | - Tao Feng
- Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment-Related Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Feng-Min Li
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Institute of Arid Agroecology, School of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.S.); (H.L.)
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