The Innovation Team of Soil Health Care of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has made significant progress in studying the effects of soil compaction on the root system architecture and rhizosheath soil traits of soybeans in the North China Plain. Their related findings, titled "Soil compaction development facilitated the decadal improvement of the root system architecture and rhizosheath soil traits of soybean in the North China Plain" , have been published in "Soil and Tillage Research" (IF = 6.5).

Since the reform and opening up of China, agricultural mechanization has rapidly developed, improving production efficiency while also leading to increasingly serious soil compaction issues. Soil compaction restricts crop root development, affecting nutrient absorption and yield. Meanwhile, high-yield breeding has significantly increased crop yields. However, whether soil compaction has prompted breeding to select for crop root traits and whether the increased yield in compacted environments can be attributed to excellent root traits remains to be studied.

This research focused on 34 soybean varieties developed and widely planted in the North China Plain since the 1950s. Over two consecutive years, field experiments on soil compaction were conducted. By analyzing the response of 24 root and rhizosheath soil traits of soybeans to soil compaction, the study found that soil compaction led to breeding reducing the diameter of soybean hypocotylsand increasing the number of root tips and rhizosheath density. In addition, breeding increased the resistance and resilience of soybean roots to soil compaction by increasing the length of the taproot and the number of lateral roots and root tips, and reducing the diameter of root tips and the angle of lateral roots, thereby increasing soybean yields. The research results have demonstrated for the first time that crop breeding not only improves the aboveground traits of soybeans but also enhances the resistance and resilience of underground roots to soil compaction. The identified key indicators can provide reference for breeding stress-resistant soybean varieties.

Dr. Wang Li and Assistant Researcher Wang Tianshu from the IARRP are the co-first authors, while Researcher Yao Shuihong and Researcher Zhang Bin are the co-corresponding authors. This achievement was supported by the National Soybean Industry Technology System and the Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

[Citation and original link]:

Wang, L., T. Wang, S. Yao, H. Sun and B. Zhang. Soil compaction development facilitated the decadal improvement of the root system architecture and rhizosheath soil traits of soybean in the North China Plain. Soil Tillage Res, 2024, 237.

Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2023.105983