title: Designer crops: optimal root system architecture for nutrient acquisition.
abstract: Plant root systems are highly plastic in response to environmental stimuli. Improved nutrient acquisition can increase fertilizer use efficiency and is critical for crop production. Recent analyses of field-grown crops highlighted the importance of root system architecture (RSA) in nutrient acquisition. This indicated that it is feasible in practice to exploit genotypes or mutations giving rise to optimal RSA for crop design in the future, especially with respect to plant breeding for infertile soils.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Plant Cell Engineering and Germplasm Innovation, College of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xiangpei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Plant Cell Engineering and Germplasm Innovation, College of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Maolin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Genetics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium; Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Ive
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Smet
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Plant Cell Engineering and Germplasm Innovation, College of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, Shandong, China. Electronic address: dingzhaojun@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhaojun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005308:Fertilizers; D063245:Plant Development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers
keywords: crop design; monocot; nutrient acquisition; root system