Abstract
Climate-induced challenges, such as drought and nutrient depletion, are increasingly constraining global crop production, threatening food and nutritional security. Sorghum bicolor (L.), a climate-resilient cereal, demonstrates strong adaptive potential under resource-limited conditions due to its robust root system architecture (RSA). While above-ground improvements have received significant attention, the role of RSA in enhancing resource-use efficiency (RUE), particularly water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), remains underexploited in breeding programs. This review explores the physiological and molecular roles of sorghum RSA traits (e.g., root depth, density, branching pattern, and root angle) in improving RUE under abiotic stress. It highlights advances in multi-omics approaches, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which provide insights into the genetic regulation of root development. High-throughput phenotyping platforms, including 2D, 3D, and emerging 4D imaging techniques, are evaluated for their effectiveness in capturing dynamic root traits and informing selection strategies. Sorghum's RSA offers a functional model for developing climate-resilient cultivars with improved WUE and NUE. The integration of modern phenotyping techniques with molecular insights and multi-omics strategies will expedite the identification of critical genetic and physiological determinants of RSA characteristics. This synthesis underscores the potential of RSA-targeted breeding strategies to enhance crop productivity and sustainability in water-and nutrient -constrained environments, aiding sustainable intensification and global food security in the face of climate change challenges.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum root architecture is presented as supporting adaptation under limited resources.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolor (L.)
Sorghum bicolore0 - Outcome
- strong adaptive potential under resource-limited conditionse0
- Qualifier
- due to its robust root system architecture (RSA)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sorghum bicolor (L.), a climate-resilient cereal, demonstrates strong adaptive potential under resource-limited conditions due to its robust root system architecture (RSA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Multi-omics approaches provide insight into genetic regulation of sorghum root development.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolor (L.)Sorghum bicolore1
- Outcome
- genetic regulation of root developmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Sorghum bicolor (L.)”
e0“multi-omics approaches, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which provide insights into the genetic regulation of root development”
Claim · model-written summary
Sorghum root architecture offers a model for cultivars with improved water and nitrogen use efficiency.
- Outcome
- improved WUE and NUEe0
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sorghum's RSA offers a functional model for developing climate-resilient cultivars with improved WUE and NUE”
Claim · model-written summary
The review recommends RSA-targeted breeding for productivity and sustainability under water and nutrient limits.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolor (L.)Sorghum bicolore1
- Outcome
- RSA-targeted breeding strategies to enhance crop productivity and sustainabilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Sorghum bicolor (L.)”
e0“RSA-targeted breeding strategies to enhance crop productivity and sustainability in water-and nutrient -constrained environments”