ReviewFrontiers in plant science2013
Root traits contributing to plant productivity under drought.
Review in Frontiers in plant science, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 415 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
415 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Two decades of resurrection studies: What have we learned about contemporary evolution of plant species?American journal of botany · 2026Pooled it
- Plant root plasticity during drought and recovery: What do we know and where to go?Frontiers in plant science · 2023Pooled it
- Biomass partitioning of plants under soil pollution stress.Communications biology · 2022Pooled it
- Responses of root system architecture to water stress at multiple levels: A meta-analysis of trials under controlled conditions.Frontiers in plant science · 2022Pooled it
- Coordination of drought-adaptive root growth plasticity through auxin homeostasis by the ZmSPL12-ZmYUC5 module in maize.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Microbial volatile compounds enhance drought resilience and productivity in CAM and C3 crops.Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany) · 2026Article
- Article
- The bp-miR156c-BpSPL2 module positively regulates drought tolerance by mediating lateral root development and reactive oxygen species scavenging in Betula platyphylla.Plant cell reports · 2026Article
- Morphological, Physiological and Transcriptomic Changes in Response to Water Deficit Stress inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- On the relationship between root economics and plant hydraulic traits.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Sinapoylglucose: malate sinapoyltransferase SNG1 negatively regulates drought resistance by crosstalk with abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Effects of the Lower Irrigation Limit and Drip Irrigation Flow Rate on Root Traits and Bacterial Community Structure of Tomatoes Grown in Coconut Coir.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Plant community responses to climate change in the Zayandeh-Rud Basin, Iran: Does woody plant encroachment follow global patterns?BMC ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Tissue-Specific Metabolite Profiling and Antioxidant Potential ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Xanthan Oligosaccharide Seed Coating Promotes Wheat Growth and Stress-Related Physiological Reprogramming via Hormone Signaling and Plant-Microbe Associations.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- QTL mapping for root traits during post-tillering stage under moisture-deficit stress in wheat.Plant molecular biology · 2026Article
- 'Fast' and 'slow' water handling strategies explain pinyon pine decline and juniper expansion.Oecologia · 2026Article
- Intraspecific variation pattern and adaptation mechanism of ephemeral plants root functional traits in arid region.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Assessment of the Potential of Bitter Melon (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Machine learning-assisted non-destructive prediction of root architecture in early-stage tomato rootstocks.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
355 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Geneticists and breeders are positioned to breed plants with root traits that improve productivity under drought. However, a better understanding of root functional traits and how traits are related to whole plant strategies to increase crop productivity under different drought conditions is needed. Root traits associated with maintaining plant productivity under drought include small fine root diameters, long specific root length, and considerable root length density, especially at depths in soil with available water. In environments with late season water deficits, small xylem diameters in targeted seminal roots save soil water deep in the soil profile for use during crop maturation and result in improved yields. Capacity for deep root growth and large xylem diameters in deep roots may also improve root acquisition of water when ample water at depth is available. Xylem pit anatomy that makes xylem less "leaky" and prone to cavitation warrants further exploration holding promise that such traits may improve plant productivity in water-limited environments without negatively impacting yield under adequate water conditions. Rapid resumption of root growth following soil rewetting may improve plant productivity under episodic drought. Genetic control of many of these traits through breeding appears feasible. Several recent reviews have covered methods for screening root traits but an appreciation for the complexity of root systems (e.g., functional differences between fine and coarse roots) needs to be paired with these methods to successfully identify relevant traits for crop improvement. Screening of root traits at early stages in plant development can proxy traits at mature stages but verification is needed on a case by case basis that traits are linked to increased crop productivity under drought. Examples in lesquerella (Physaria) and rice (Oryza) show approaches to phenotyping of root traits and current understanding of root trait genetics for breeding.
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