Root traits for improving phosphorus acquisition efficiency

Global agriculture faces the challenge of creating nutrient-efficient crops to ensure sustainable food production whilst limiting environmental pollution. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient for plant growth. However, low P availability limits crop production in low input agroecosystems. In contrast, under high input agroecosystems, use of P fertilizer can come at major economic and environmental costs due to runoff and the pollution of waterways. Improvement of root traits to increase P acquisition and use efficiency is an underrealized opportunity in modern cropping systems. Incorporating superior root traits into our breeding strategies provides opportunities to enhance crop productivity and increase sustainability. This chapter explores root traits that enhance P acquisition and how the soil microbiome can influence root traits to enhance P acquisition in major staple crops. Furthermore, we discuss the value of roots traits that might be beneficial under multiple stress complexes co-occurring with P stress, such as shortage of N and water availability.