Changes in crop trait plasticity with domestication history: Management practices matter

Abstract

Crop domestication has led to the development of distinct trait syndromes, a series of constrained plant trait trade‐offs to maximize yield in high‐input agricultural environments, and potentially constrained trait plasticity. Yet, with the ongoing transition to organic and diversified agroecosystems, which create more heterogeneous nutrient availability, this constrained plasticity, especially in root functional traits, may be undesirable for nutrient acquisition. Such agricultural systems require a nuanced understanding of the soil‐crop continuum under organic amendments and with intercropping, and the role crop genetic resources play in governing nutrient management and design. In this study, we use a functional traits lens to determine if crops with a range of domestication histories express different functional trait plasticity and how this expression changes with soil amendments and intercropping. We utilize a common garden experiment including five wheat (Triticum aestivum) varietals with a range of domestication histories planted in a factorial combination with amendment type (organic and inorganic) and cropping design (monoculture or intercropped with soybean). We use bivariate, multivariate and trait space analyses to quantify trait variation and plasticity in five leaf and five root functional traits. Almost all leaf and root traits varied among varieties. Yet, amendment type was nearly inconsequential for explaining trait expression across varieties. However, intercropping was linked to significant differences in root acquisitive strategies, regardless of the varietals' distinct history. Our findings show substantial leaf and root trait plasticity, with roots expressing greater trait space occupation with domestication, but also the strong role of management in crop trait expression. We underscore the utility of a functional trait‐based approach to understand plant–soil dynamics with organic amendments, as well as the role of crop genetic histories in the successful transition to low‐input and diversified agroecosystems.

Unraveling root and rhizosphere traits in temperate maize landraces and modern cultivars: Implications for soil resource acquisition and drought adaptation

“…In contrast, our data suggest that later intensive breeding has reversed this shift in traits, as we observed higher Root D and lower SRL in modern cultivars compared to landraces. This is consistent with data on landraces and modern cultivars of Triticum aestivum L. (Nimmo et al, 2023;Siddique et al, 1990) and low Root D, as exhibited by landraces in our study, are commonly linked with an increased root surface area and the potential to access a larger soil volume at a comparatively low cost (Comas et al, 2013).…”

“…In addition to the strategies employed by a plant species or variety to acquire soil resources, high trait plasticity and thus the ability to rapidly adapt to changing growth environments may be critical to plant resilience, which in turn implies yield stability (Nimmo et al, 2023;Schneider & Lynch, 2020). During drought, future cultivars should exhibit sufficient trait plasticity to respond to severe fluctuations in water and nutrient availability (Comas et al, 2013;Fromm, 2019).…”

Shade tree trait diversity and functions in agroforestry systems: A review of which traits matter

“…A growing body of literature exists on using functional traits as a way to describe and predict agroecosystem function in agricultural systems (cover crops -Blesh, 2018;Finney & Kaye, 2016;cereals and legumes-Ajal et al, 2021;Nimmo et al, 2023;vegetable crops-Rolhauser et al, 2022;and weeds-Archibald et al, 2022).…”

“…A growing body of literature exists on using functional traits as a way to describe and predict agroecosystem function in agricultural systems (cover crops—Blesh, 2018; Finney & Kaye, 2016; cereals and legumes—Ajal et al., 2021; Nimmo et al., 2023; vegetable crops—Rolhauser et al., 2022; and weeds—Archibald et al., 2022). And multiple papers have suggested plant functional traits as key to generalizing the selection of shade trees (Isaac & Borden, 2019; Rigal et al., 2022; Sauvadet, Asare, et al., 2020; Sauvadet, Saj, et al., 2020).…”