Rhizosphere modelling to advance crop breeding strategies
Problem: Breeding for resilience to abiotic stress is difficult because it is challenging to quantify how specific root and rhizosphere traits influence crop performance. Traditional approaches cannot easily capture the complex interactions between root systems, soil, water, and microorganisms.
Solution: Mathematical models, developed using genotypic and environmental data, can simulate root system growth and their interactions with soil. These models account for processes such as rhizodeposition, water transport, and microbial activity, enabling predictions of plant performance under different conditions.
Benefits: Rhizosphere models allow researchers to test how root traits influence resilience, such as the capacity of roots to maximise water uptake during drought. They provide a powerful tool to design crop ideotypes and to inform breeding and management strategies under climate change.
For more information, please see: https://zenodo.org/records/14674393
Root phenotyping and genetic improvement for rotational crops resilient to environmental change
Ongoing | 2022-2027
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- France, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Morocco, South Africa