Genetic improvement of root growth increases maize yield via enhanced post-silking nitrogen uptake

Root breeding has been proposed as a key factor in the “second green revolution” for increasing crop yield and the efficient use of nutrient and water resources. However, few studies have demonstrated that the genetic improvement of root characteristics directly contributes to enhancing nutrient-use-efficiency in crops. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of root growth improvement to efficient nitrogen (N) acquisition and grain yield under two different N-levels in a 3-year field experiment. We used two near-isogenic maize testcrosses, T-213 (large-root) and T-Wu312 (small-root), derived from a backcross of a BC4F3 population from two parents (Ye478 and Wu312) with contrasting root size. We found that the root length density, root surface area, and dry weight at the silking stage were 9.6-19.5% higher in T-213 compared with the control T-Wu312. The root distribution pattern in the soil profile showed no significant differences between the two genotypes. The overall increase in root growth in T-213 enhanced post-silking N uptake, which increased grain yield by 17.3%. Correspondingly, soil nitrate concentrations in the >30 cm soil layer were reduced in T-213 under the high N treatment. These positive effects occurred under both adequate and inadequate N-supply and different weather conditions. Our study provides a successful case that increasing root size via genetic manipulation contributes directly to efficient N-uptake and higher yield.