Field Crops Research
Root genetic research, an opportunity and challenge to rice improvement
A B S T R A C T
Rice is one of the most important cereal crops, feeding more than 50% population of the world. To meet
the demand of increasing population, rice production has to be improved continually. As a very important
part of rice plant, root system plays multiple roles in rice growth: anchorage of the plant, acquisition of
water and nutrient elements, and biosynthesis of amino acids and hormones, etc. Almost all of the hot
spots about rice research are associated with rice root: drought tolerance, lodging resistance, and
efficient use of nutrition, the goal is to increase the grain yield with desirable seed quality. Although the
understanding about rice root has been expanded in the last decades, there remain much to be done
about root morphology and physiology, especially in root genetics. Rice root research is an exciting and
focusing
field in recent years. More and more researches on rice root genetics have been made. There is a
close relation between above ground traits and underground roots, providing an alternative approach for
rice genetic improvement. A number of genes associated with root architecture and physiological
functions have been identified, or cloned. It provides an opportunity to further improve rice based on
molecular assisted selection. Root traits improvement should be taken into account in future breeding
programs in rice. However, root research is still a consuming and difficult work, because it was largely
influenced by the complex underground environment. This paper reviewed the progress in rice root
genetic research, and discussed its prospects.