title: The roots of a new green revolution.
abstract: A significant increase in shoot biomass and seed yield has always been the dream of plant biologists who wish to dedicate their fundamental research to the benefit of mankind; the first green revolution about half a century ago represented a crucial step towards contemporary agriculture and the development of high-yield varieties of cereal grains. Although there has been a steady rise in our food production from then onwards, the currently applied technology and the available crop plants will not be sufficient to feed the rapidly growing world population. In this opinion article, we highlight several below-ground characteristics of plants such as root architecture, nutrient uptake and nitrogen fixation as promising features enabling a very much needed new green revolution.
authors.affiliation: Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Munich (LMU), D-82152 Martinsried-München, Germany.
authors.forename: Griet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Den Herder
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Isterdael
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beeckman
authors.forename: Ive
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Smet
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D018533:Biomass; D005523:Food Supply; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D063245:Plant Development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development*; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification