An automated root phenotype platform enables nondestructive high-throughput root system architecture dissection in wheat

作者：Zhen Zhang, Xiaolong Qiu, Guanghui Guo, Xiaojing Zhu, Jiawei Shi, N. Zhang, Shenglong Ding, N. -Y. Tang, Yunfeng Qu, Zhe Sun, Huilin Li, Feifei Ma, Shangyuan Xie, Qian Lv, Liming Fu, Ge Hu, Ying Cao, Hongwei Ge, Hao Li, Jinling Huang, Weigang Xu, Wanneng Yang, Yun Zhou, Chun‐Peng Song · 发表于：PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1093/plphys/kiaf154 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism、Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement、Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics

The root system architecture (RSA) determines plant growth and yield. The characterization of optimal RSA and discovery of genetic loci or candidate genes that control root traits are therefore important research goals. However, the hidden nature of the root system makes it difficult to perform nondestructive, rapid analyses of RSA. In this study, we developed an automated, nondestructive, high-throughput root phenotyping platform (Root-HTP) and a corresponding data processing pipeline for efficient, large-scale characterization of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) RSA. This system is capable of tracking root growth dynamics and RSA variation across all wheat developmental stages. In situ phenotyping using Root-HTP extracted 47 RSA traits, including 33 novel traits in wheat and 23 novel traits in other crops. We used root trait data from the phenotyping system and yield trait data to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 155 wheat accessions, which identified 2,650 SNPs and 233 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with aspects of root architecture. The candidate gene TaMYB93 was detected in a QTL for root tortuosity, and EMS mutants confirmed its effect on RSA in wheat. We explored the relationship between root- and yield-related traits and identified 20 root-related QTLs that were also associated with yield traits. Furthermore, we have built a predictive model for wheat yield based on 18 RSA traits and propose a parsimonious RSA ideotype associated with high yiel...