Running title : Drought resilience and root system architecture
Core ideas : Drought leads to significant crop yield loss
demanding engineering for resilience. Root system architecture (RSA) is
the primary structure responding to drought. RSA can be engineered
genetically to modify anatomy, physiology, and morphology. Along with
high-throughput phenotyping, RSA can be studied comprehensively.
Prospects Of Developing
Drought Resilience In Crop Plants Through Strategic Modifications In
Root System Architecture
Anmol Kalra1, Shailendra Goel1*, and
Ani A. Elias2*
1Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi,
India; 2Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree
Breeding, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Corresponding authors:
anianna01@gmail.com,
shailendragoel@gmail.com
ORCID: AK – 0000-0002-5929-4264; SG –0000-0002-8731-8892; AAE
– 0000-0002-3360-6979
Author contributions: AAE and SG equally contributed in
conceptualization of the manuscript. The original draft was written by
AK. All authors reviewed, edited, and agreed to the final manuscript
submitted.
Abbreviations : ABA, abscisic acid; ARF7, auxin response factor
7; AQPs, aquaporins; BADH, betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase; CDPK,
Ca-dependent kinases; CT, X-ray computed tomography; DEGs,
differentially expressed genes; dro1 , deeper rooting 1; EC,
electrical capacitance ERT, electrical resistance tomography; GPR,
ground-penetrating radar; GSA. Gravitropic set-point angle; IAA3,
indole-3 acteic acid; LEA, Late Embryogenesis Abundant; LR, lateral
roots; MIP, Major Intrinsic Proteins; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging;
PEG, polyethylene glycol; PIP, Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Proteins; POD,
peroxide dismutase; RAM, root apical meristem; ROS, reactive oxygen
species; RSA, root system architecture; RWC, relative water content;
SnRK2, Snf1-related kinase; SOD, superoxide dismutase; SRL, specific
root length; SUT, sucrose transporters; TIP, Tonoplast Intrinsic
Proteins; QTLs, quantitative trait locus
Abstract
Drought alone and with associated abiotic stress such as heat and
nutrient deficiency leads to significant agricultural crop loss. Thus,
with changing climatic conditions, it is important to develop resilience
measures in agricultural systems against drought stress. In this review,
we discuss the modifications in plants while responding to drought
giving special focus on roots as they are the primary sense organs in
this context. Prospects of genomic crop improvement by pointing out the
focus areas to engineer root system architecture and genomic regions
involved in the related traits are also discussed. We have also listed
instruments and software facilitating high throughput phenotyping of
root system in field conditions as the phenotyping of root system
architecture in the field is a challenge.
Keywords: drought resilience, root system, genomic crop
improvement, root
phenotyping