Durum Wheat Seminal Root Traits within Modern and Landrace Germplasm in Algeria

Abstract

Seminal roots are known to play an important role in crop performance, particularly under drought conditions. A set of 37 durum wheat cultivars and local landraces was screened for variation in architecture and size of seminal roots using a laboratory setting, with a filter paper method combined with image processing by SmartRoot software. Significant genetic variability was detected for all root and shoot traits assessed. Four rooting patterns were identified, with landraces showing overall steeper angle and higher root length, in comparison with cultivars, which presented a wider root angle and shorter root length. Some traits revealed trends dependent on the genotypes’ year of release, like increased seminal root angle and reduced root size (length, surface, and volume) over time. We confirm the presence of a remarkable diversity of root traits in durum wheat whose relationship with adult root features and agronomic performance should be explored.

Study of Variability in Root System Architecture of Spanish Triticum turgidum L. Subspecies and Analysis of the Presence of a MITE Element Inserted in the TtDro1B Gene: Evolutionary Implications

“…The RSA study was carried out using the rhizoslide technique according with Ruiz et al [25] and Boudiar et al [29]. Briefly, 12 seeds from each of the genotypes analysed were disinfected with sodium hypochlorite solution (1.25%) during 15 min and rinsed 4 times with sterile distilled water.…”

“…Thus, the subspecies dicoccum has small and shallow roots while durum has the longest and deepest roots, and turgidum has an intermediate phenotype between the other two subspecies, reflecting an adaptation to different growing areas. Other authors have studied the variability in the RSA of different wheat varieties and landraces and have also observed a large variability and potential for modifying root structure to increase yield or drought tolerance [26][27][28][29].…”

Root Trait Diversity in Field Grown Durum Wheat and Comparison with Seedlings

“…The full description of this experiment was already published [56]. Briefly, 37 genotypes (12 replications each) were grown in a filter paper system allowing vertical growth of roots for each single seedling between two glasses for one week at 22/18 • C and 12/12 h photoperiod, day/night.…”

“…Data analyses for the growth chamber experiment were already presented in [56]. For the field (shovelomics) experiment, statistical analyses were performed using the general ANOVA procedure with Genstat 18 [60].…”

“…In this study, we present the assessment of root traits in adult plants of a collection of durum wheat genotypes successfully grown in Algeria, presenting diverse breeding histories, including a comparison of landraces with modern cultivars, to assess the indirect effect of breeding on root traits. We compare these results with a previously published experiment carried out at seedling stage for the same set of genotypes [56]. The relationships among experiments within a representative set of cultivars and landraces were used to assess: (i) the usefulness of these methods to depict root characteristics and (ii) the genotypic diversity present in Algerian durum wheat, which is discussed with regard to its potential use for plant breeding.…”