title: Challenges of modifying root traits in crops for agriculture.
abstract: Roots play an essential role in the acquisition of water and minerals from soils. Measuring crop root architecture and assaying for changes in function can be challenging, but examples have emerged showing that modifications to roots result in higher yield and increased stress tolerance. In this review, we focus mainly on the molecular genetic advances that have been made in altering root system architecture and function in crop plants, as well as phenotyping methods. The future for the modification of crop plant roots looks promising based on recent advances, but there are also important challenges ahead.
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 700 Chesterfield Parkway, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meister
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 700 Chesterfield Parkway, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rajani
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 700 Chesterfield Parkway, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ruzicka
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Lincoln, Center for Plant Science Innovation, E243 Beadle, Lincoln, NE 68588-0660, USA. Electronic address: daniel.schachtman@unl.edu.
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Schachtman
mesh_terms: D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: root architecture; root microbe interactions; root phenotyping