Improving Soil Resource Uptake by Plants Through Capitalizing on Synergies Between Root Architecture and Anatomy and Root-Associated Microorganisms

Summary

ideotype are linked to better performance under suboptimal availability of nitrogen and water. We propose that natural variation in root phenotypes translates into a diversity of different niches for microbial associations in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane and root cortex, and that microbial traits could have synergistic effects with the beneficial effect of specific root phenotypes. Oxygen and water content, carbon rhizodeposition, nutrient availability, and root surface area are all factors that are modified by root anatomy and architecture and determine the structure and function of the associated microbial communities. Recent research results indicate that root characteristics that may modify microbial communities associated with maize include aerenchyma, rooting angle, root hairs, and la