Optimizing root systems for multifunctional ecosystem services and productivity in perennial, herbaceous crops

Root systems anchor plants in the soil, acquire all non-carbon resources required for growth, and serve as the conduit by which assimilated photosynthates can flow into soil. Understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the function of roots and the impact of those functions on the larger ecosystem is central to innovation required for contemporary and future agriculture to be sustainable and, potentially, regenerative. We are working to understand roots across scales of biological organization - from molecules to ecosystems - within the context of perennial, herbaceous crops as part of New Roots for Restoration Biological Integration Institute. We posit that perennial, herbaceous plants are an optimum system in which to further our basic and applied understanding of root traits and their interaction with the environment. We are characterizing architectural, anatomical, and morphological root trait variation and covariation in nine herbaceous perennial crop candidate species using multiple field experiments. We have observed significant inter-and-intraspecific variation for traits related to allocation, growth, and clonal and seed-based reproduction. We find differences in species-specific patterns related to root allocation by depth and are working to relate this to lifetime fitness, above-ground phenotypes, and growth over multiple years. By developing a base for understanding beneficial root traits within perennial, herbaceous grain crops, we aim to provide insight to breeding programs that are working to develop crops that support both economic and ecological goals and advance understanding across biological scales.