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Building the Whole-plant Phenotype: Coupling Geophysically-based Below-ground Measurements with Above-ground Data
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  • Guillaume Blanchy,
  • Christopher Watts,
  • Nicolas Virlet,
  • Pouria Sadeghi-Tehran,
  • Rhys Ashton,
  • Malcolm Hawkesford,
  • W Richard Whalley,
  • Andrew Binley
Guillaume Blanchy
University of Lancaster

Corresponding Author:guillaumeblanchy@outlook.com

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Christopher Watts
Rothamsted Research
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Nicolas Virlet
Rothamsted Research
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Pouria Sadeghi-Tehran
Rothamsted Research
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Rhys Ashton
Rothamsted Research
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Malcolm Hawkesford
Rothamsted Research
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W Richard Whalley
Rothamsted Research
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Andrew Binley
University of Lancaster
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Abstract

Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops and it plays an important role in food production. Currently there is considerable interest in identifying traits that contribute to high yields. Trait selection has mainly focused on the above-ground part of the plant neglecting below-ground processes. Climate change and the greater uncertainty in weather conditions challenge our current food system and create the need to select more varieties with grater resilience against the effects of climate variation. The root system of the plant plays a key part in this resilience, but it is difficult to study at the field-scale which is essential for the effective selection of breeding lines. Geophysical tools such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) offer the possibility to study the below-ground phenotype of the plant in a non-destructive and high-throughput manner. In this study, changes in soil moisture induced by root water uptake are monitored using time-lapse ERT/EMI surveys. These methods were applied at two scales: (a) at a high-spatial resolution where hundreds of wheat varieties were monitored monthly using EMI in a wheat breeding field trial and (b) at high-temporal resolution where hourly ERT measurements were collected along with above-ground phenotyping traits on a few plots with a field facility (Field Scanalyzer). Coupling these geophysically-based below-ground data with above-ground canopy measurements can increase our understanding of the crop response to its environment. Good correlation was found between leaf area index (LAI) and soil drying inferred from EMI measurements for the high-spatial experiment (a). The ERT monitoring experiment (b) accurately showed the dynamics of two different nitrogen treatments, their interactions with weather conditions and their correlation with above-ground crop growth. Coupling geophysically-based below-ground measurements with above-ground data allows the increased understanding of the whole plant phenotype. This might help to identify useful traits to select for increased crop yield and resilience.