EURoot aims at delineating a cereal root system ideotype in terms of architecture, uptake and signalling processes (including beneficial interactions with micro-organisms) that allows soil exploration, resource acquisition and maintenance of crop performance under limited soil water and nutrients
EURoot will deliver concepts, models, tools (markers, fingerprints, sensors…) and materials allowing the breeding for cereal cultivars exhibiting enhanced resilience under erratic rainfalls and future limitation in the use of irrigation water and chemical fertilizers.
EURoot will focus on four cereal crops; Barley, Durum Wheat, Maize and Rice
EURoot will operate through five integrated workpackages;
WP1 Genetic and functional bases of root architectural traits under abiotic stress conditions
WP2 Root-soil interactions controlling N and P acquisition under drought and nutrient limitation
WP4 Phenotyping of root system architecture traits
WP5 Enhanced models for predicting RSA development under multiple stresses
