Root anatomical gradients and cultivar differences underlie variation in root hydraulic properties in German winter wheat.

Abstract

Root hydraulic properties affect water uptake in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and are strongly influenced by root anatomy, yet how they vary along root axes and differ among cultivars remains underexplored. We investigated crown roots of six German winter wheat cultivars spanning one century of release, sampled from a field experiment. Roots were imaged at different positions along their axis using a high-throughput system (Rapid Anatomics Tool), and the resulting anatomical traits were coupled to the GRANAR-MECHA model to estimate radial and axial hydraulic conductance. Longitudinal anatomical gradients were pronounced: tissue dimensions, metaxylem number, and apoplastic barriers decreased from the base onwards, resulting in radial conductance increasing and axial conductance decreasing with distance from the base. Cultivar differences were also apparent: modern cultivars had smaller tissues and fewer metaxylem vessels, reducing both axial and radial conductance and lowering whole-root water uptake capacity (∼20-30%). By integrating field sampling with high-throughput image analysis and modeling, this study establishes an integrated phenotyping approach linking root anatomy to hydraulic function and uncovering anatomical traits relevant for water uptake. The results show that longitudinal gradients and cultivar-associated anatomical differences contribute to variation in hydraulic properties and persist along fully mature root segments.

Code and data availability

The paper states that raw anatomical images (root cross-sections used for phenotyping) are deposited in the bonndata repository, which is a paper-specific public asset. However, no concrete bonndata URL/DOI is provided in the supplied text, and the only allowed URL is the generic R-project site, so the deposit cannotbe

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