Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32347952›Full record

ArticleJournal of experimental botany2020

Root phenotypes of young wheat plants grown in controlled environments show inconsistent correlation with mature root traits in the field.

Sarah M Rich, Jack Christopher, Richard Richards, Michelle Watt

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of experimental botany, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. ClearDepth: a simple, robust, and low-cost method to assess root depth in soil.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2025
    Article
  7. Genetic dissection of root architecture in Ethiopian sorghum landraces.TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik · 2023
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Genotypic variation and covariation in wheat seedling seminal root architecture and grain yield under field conditions.TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik · 2022
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sarah M RichCSIRO Agriculture and Food, Perth, WA, Australia.
Jack ChristopherUniversity of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agricultural and Food Innovation, Leslie Research Centre, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia.
Richard RichardsCSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra ACT, Australia.
Michelle WattCSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra ACT, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Using a field to lab approach, mature deep-rooting traits in wheat were correlated to root phenotypes measured on young plants from controlled conditions. Mature deep-rooting root traits of 20 wheat genotypes at maturity were established via coring in three field trials across 2 years. Field traits were correlated to phenotypes expressed by the 20 genotypes after growth in four commonly used lab screens: (i) soil tubes for root emergence, elongation, length, and branching at four ages to 34 days after sowing (DAS); (ii) paper pouches 7 DAS and (iii) agar chambers for primary root (PR) number and angles at 8 DAS; and (iv) soil baskets for PR and nodal root (NR) number and angle at 42 DAS. Correlations between lab and field root traits (r2=0.45-0.73) were highly inconsistent, with many traits uncorrelated and no one lab phenotype correlating similarly across three field experiments. Phenotypes most positively associated with deep field roots were: longest PR and NR axiles from the soil tube screen at 20 DAS; and narrow PR angle and wide NR angle from soil baskets at 42 DAS. Paper and agar PR angles were positively and significantly correlated to each other, but only wide outer PRs in the paper screen correlated positively to shallower field root traits. NR phenotypes in soil baskets were not predicted by PR phenotypes in any screen, suggesting independent developmental controls and value in measuring both root types in lab screens. Strong temporal and edaphic effects on mature root traits, and a lack of understanding of root trait changes during plant development, are major challenges in creating controlled-environment root screens for mature root traits in the field.

Indexed as

Plant RootsTriticumEnvironment, ControlledGenotypePhenotypeDeep rootfield to lablab to fieldroot angleroot architectureroot elongationroot numberroot phenotypingroot screenTriticum aestivumwheat

Identifiers

PMID32347952
PMCPMC7410186

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.