Comparison of the root length, biomass and architecture of old and modern wheat cultivars under different irrigation treatments

Crop science

Root length, root biomass and root morphology are important characteristics that can influence the water and nutrient uptake of crops. To better understand interactions between crops, their environment and agricultural management strategies, knowledge of root characteristics and root growth is essential. Compared to the observation of above-ground plant organs, observations of roots are associated with difficulties resulting from their buried nature. To understand how changes in agricultural systems, such as changes in crop varieties and irrigation, affect crop-soil interactions, we are conducting a field experiment at the Klein-Altendorf campus. In this experiment, we are using a new method to analyze root characteristics of six winter wheat varieties under field conditions that were widely grown in Germany between 1895 and 2002.

The objective of this study is to investigate and compare root traits of modern and old wheat cultivars, as well as their reaction to drought stress.

This study comprises work on a field trial with six winter wheat varieties and two irrigation treatments. The measurements are carried out at three times during the growing season, at stem elongation (~beginning of April), at heading (~mid-May) and at flowering (~mid-June). At these times, work peaks are to be expected both in the field and in the laboratory, during which roots have to be first washed, i.e. separated from the surrounding soil, and then digitalized and analyzed using a scanner.

We expect to see differences in the root architecture and the reaction to different water regimes between modern and old wheat cultivars.

5 Months

English or German

Interests in crop phenotyping

Dominik Behrend, Sabine Seidel

dbehrend@uni-bonn.de