Examining deeper rooting rice varieties
Our novel approach will help breeders identify deeper rooting varieties in rice germplasm collections.
Getting to the root of the problem
Lead researcher: Professor Malcolm Bennett
Research has shown that plants with steeper root angles are able to significantly improve the plants’ ability to explore the soil, leading to improved yields under water and nutrient stress conditions. But measuring root angles for thousands of varieties under field conditions is very difficult.
This project will test the relationship between shoot and root angles as reflection symmetry exists between above and below ground parts of cereals like rice and barley.