HeRo - Healthy roots: development of tools for the selection of robust cultivars in Swedish plant breeding, with focus on the root system

Crop root systems are central for the uptake of plant nutrients, disease resistance and resistance to extreme weather. Healthy root systems therefore contribute to a reduced risk of poor growth and yield under varying environmental conditions, in other words, increased cropping security. Important plant nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus, but also other elements. The objectives of the project are (i) to identify plant characteristics, with the main focus on the root systems, which can be used by plant breeders as a tool for selection of robust varieties, (ii) to evaluate these characteristics from a cultivation system perspective, and (iii) to evaluate how plant-microbe interactions can be used to promote crop nutrient use efficiency. In the long term, genetic markers for traits that lead to increased cropping security will also be identified.

This project is studying the root system of mainly wheat and its significance for the uptake of nutrients, but also disease resistance and adaptation to different environments.  The project will lead to Swedish wheat production becoming more efficient and sustainable with varieties that have healthy roots and make better use of plant nutrients.

The project is developing methods for identifying plant traits that lead to increased cropping security. These candidate traits can then be used by plant breeders as tools for selecting genotypes that work in different environments and different cultivation systems.

Publications

I Karlsson, P Persson, H Friberg (2021) Fusarium Head Blight From a Microbiome Perspective. Front. Microbiol. 12: 628373.

H Yang, C Fang, Y Li, Y Wu, P Fransson, M Rillig, S Zhai, J Xie, Z Tong, Q Zhang, M Sheteiwy, F Li, M Weih (2022) Temporal complementarity between roots and mycorrhizal fungi drives wheat nitrogen use efficiency. New Phytologist 236: 1168-1181.

K A Torppa, J Forkman, N I Maaroufi, A R Taylor, T Vahter, M Vasar, M Weih, M Öpik, M Viketoft (2023) Soil compaction effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in wheat depend on host plant variety. Plant and Soil 493: 555-571.

H Yang, F Berckx, P Fransson, M Weih (2023) Harnessing plant-microbe interactions to promote nitrogen use efficiency in cereal crops. Plant and Soil 494: 75-83.

F Berckx (2024) In the Spotlight: Getting to the roots of fungal interactions. Physiologia Plantarum 176:e14295.

J E Cope, F Berckx, J Lundmark, T Henriksson, I Karlsson, M Weih (2024) Clear Effects on Root System Architecture of Winter Wheat Cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.) from Cultivation Environment and Practices. Scientific Reports 14: 11099. 

J E Cope, F Berckx, A Galinski, J Lentz, K A Nagel, F Fiorani, M Weih (2024) Precrop-treated Soil Influences Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Root System Architecture and its Response to Drought. Front. Plant Sci. 15: 1389593.

N Frantová, L Guardia-Velarde, I Jovanović, M Weih (2025) Genotype adaptive patterns in spring wheat reveal drought-induced differentiation in root morphology. Frontiers in Plant Science 16: 1534211. 

B Huang, Y Wu, Z - R Kan, F Berckx, P Fransson, Q Zhang, F-M Li, M Weih, H Yang (2025) Contrasting impacts of wheat rhizosphere and hyphosphere on methane and nitrous oxide emissions under straw incorporation. Soil and Tillage Research 255: 106793. 

J E Cope, A Peraldi (2026) Genetic insights into root disease resistance using the model cereal Brachypodium distachyon. Phytopathology Research 8:1.