在非洲的许多地区，农业主要基于低投入和小农户的农业系统，这些系统使用很少的无机肥料，获得灌溉和机械化的机会有限。改善农业实践并开发适应这些环境的新品种，生产已经受到气候变化的影响，是粮食安全的主要优先事项。这里,我们使用三个案例研究来说明特定根系性状的育种如何提高非洲的作物抗逆性，这些案例研究涵盖了截然不同的低投入农业生态系统。我们首先回顾了更大的基础根螺纹数和更长更密集的根毛如何提高东南非洲普通豆的磷吸收效率和产量。然后我们讨论节水策略，根毛密度和深层根生长可以有针对性地提高西非高粱和珍珠小米的产量。最后,我们评估了如何在表层土壤中繁殖更致密的根系以及与丛枝菌根真菌的相互作用，以优化西非水稻农业生态系统中的节水交替湿润和干燥实践。最后，我们讨论了如何评估根系性状的效用以及如何使育种者的根系性状选择可行，以便可以通过参与式方法向农民提供改良品种。
In many regions across Africa, agriculture is largely based on low-input and small-holder farming systems that use little inorganic fertilisers and have limited access to irrigation and mechanisation. Improving agricultural practices and developing new cultivars adapted to these environments, where production already suffers from climate change, is a major priority for food security. Here, we illustrate how breeding for specific root traits could improve crop resilience in Africa using three
case studies covering very contrasting low-input agroecosystems. We first review how greater basal root whorl number and longer and denser root hairs increased P acquisition efficiency and yield in common bean in South East Africa. We then discuss how water-saving strategies, root hair density and deep root growth could be targeted to improve sorghum and pearl millet yield in West Africa. Finally, we evaluate how breeding for denser root systems in the topsoil and interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could be mobilised to optimise water-saving alternate wetting and drying practices in West African rice agroecosystems. We conclude with a discussion on how to evaluate the utility of root traits and how to make root trait selection feasible for breeders so that improved varieties can be made available to farmers through participatory approaches.
