Root Architecture—Wheat as a Model Plant

Root characteristics play an important role in the development of new wheat germplasm with improved drought tolerance, nutrient and water uptake efficiency, lodging resistance, and tolerance to mineral toxicity. These traits are especially relevant for the adaptation of wheat to marginal environments, with increasing demand for wheat production at a time when water and phosphorus are becoming scarce commodities worldwide. This chapter describes the morphology, physiology, ecology, and function of wheat roots, and reviews the current status of knowledge regarding heritability and genetic diversity of root traits of wheat.