Image-based high throughput phenotyping reveals variation in root system architecture traits of soybean

HARIS KHURSHID; ZABTA KHAN SHINWARI; MUHAMMAD JAHANZAIB; IHSAN ULLAH; MUHAMMAD JAFFER ALI; FAZAL YAZDAN SALEEM MARWAT; KHALID KHAN; ZAHID MAHMOOD; HUSSAIN SHAH

doi:10.30848/PJB2025-2(14)

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Image-based high throughput phenotyping reveals variation in root system architecture traits of soybean

Author(s)

HARIS KHURSHID Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

ZABTA KHAN SHINWARI Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University,Islamabad-,Pakistan

MUHAMMAD JAHANZAIB Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

IHSAN ULLAH Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

MUHAMMAD JAFFER ALI Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

FAZAL YAZDAN SALEEM MARWAT Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

KHALID KHAN Oilseeds Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

ZAHID MAHMOOD Wheat Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC),Islamabad-,Pakistan

HUSSAIN SHAH Plant Sciences Division, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council,Islamabad-,Pakistan

Abstract

Soybean is a widely cultivated commercial crop mainly grown for its edible oil and protein content. Climate change and abiotic stresses are currently posing productivity and adaptation challenges to the crop. Root system architecture traits can open new avenues for ideotype development in order to reduce yield losses via efficient nutrient-water uptake. We applied semi-automated image-based root phenotyping to investigate diversity in root system architecture features among seventy soybean genotypes. Root system architecture traits such as stem diameter (Stem D), projected root area (Area), root system width (Root Sys W), number of root tips (Root Tips), number of adventitious roots (Advent Root), number of basal roots (Basal Root), tap root (TAPRD), total root length (T Length), total root volume (T volume) and number of branching points (Branching P) were evaluated after 28 DAS using a recently developed computer-based Digital Imaging of Root Traits (DIRT) and Semi-automated Root Image Analysis (saRIA) applications. The data generated by softwares were analyzed for descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and principal component analysis (PCA). Relatively higher variability was observed in traits i.e., Basal Root (CV= 55.82%), Branching P (CV= 44.51%), Root Tips (CV= 37.8%), Area (36.73%) and Root Sys W (35.02%). However, TAPRD and StemD exhibited low variation and had CV% of 7.64 and 18.22, respectively. All the studied traits were found to be strongly associated with each other whereas selection for one trait will lead to positive or negative selection of other trait(s). First two PCs represented 64.9% and 14.9% variability, respectively. Broadly, the classification of genotypes was manifested by root agro-morphological traits rather than geographic origin. The availability of variation in these traits provides opportunity to develop high yielding stable cultivars in response to yield limiting abiotic stresses like drought, flooding, inefficient nutrient uptake and drastic edaphic conditions.

Publication Details

Page(s) 543-551

DOI 10.30848/PJB2025-2(14)

Published Journal: Pakistan Journal of Botany, Volume: 57, Issue: 2, Year: 2025

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Keywords

Phenotyping, Image analysis, Root system architecture, High throughput

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