Seminal root angle is associated with root system architecture in durum wheat

Optimal root system architecture (RSA) is critical for efficient resource capture in soils, hence being an interest in crop breeding. Seminal root angle (SRA) at the seedling stage in durum wheat has been suggested to be a good indicator of RSA. However, research on correlating such laboratory-based seedling root phenotyping to RSA at later phases of plant growth is limited, resulting in the importance of root trait variation seen in seedlings often being overstated. To explore the role of SRA in modifying RSA at later phases of plant growth, we assessed 11 genotypes contrasting in SRA (wide and narrow), grown in a rhizobox designed for phenotyping root systems of plants during late-tillering. Aboveground traits and root dry mass in different soil depths and across the entire soil volume were measured manually, while root architectural traits were extracted using image analysis and summarised by multiple factor analysis to describe RSA. When comparing the wide and narrow genotypes, no differences were detected for aboveground traits and total root dry mass. However, differences were observed in the allocation of root dry mass at different depths. The wide and narrow genotypes showed distinct RSAs, particularly in the upper soil (0–30 cm). The wide genotypes exhibited a ‘spread-out’ root system with dense and thin roots, whereas the narrow genotypes had a compact root system with fewer but thicker roots. Our study demonstrated a clear difference in RSA between the wide and narrow genotypes, highlighting the association between SRA on the direction and distribution of root growth in plants at later growth stages.