Digging Deeper for Agricultural Resources, the Value of Deep Rooting

Kristian Thorup-Kristensen; Niels Halberg; Mette Nicolaisen; Jørgen Eivind Olesen; Timothy E Crews; Philippe Hinsinger; John Kirkegaard; Alain Pierret; Dorte Bodin Dresbøll

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2019.12.007

Digging Deeper for Agricultural Resources, the Value of Deep Rooting

Trends Plant Sci. 2020 Apr;25(4):406-417. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.12.007. Epub 2020 Jan 18.

Authors

Kristian Thorup-Kristensen¹, Niels Halberg², Mette Nicolaisen³, Jørgen Eivind Olesen⁴, Timothy E Crews⁵, Philippe Hinsinger⁶, John Kirkegaard⁷, Alain Pierret⁸, Dorte Bodin Dresbøll³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. Electronic address: ktk@plen.ku.dk.
² DCA - Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
³ Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
⁴ Department of Agroecology, Aarhus Universitet, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
⁵ The Land Institute, 2440E Water Well Rd. Salina, KS 67401, USA.
⁶ Eco&Sols, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France.
⁷ CSIRO Agriculture and Food, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
⁸ Institut d'Écologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris (iEES-Paris), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Université de Paris, Université Paris Est Creteil, Paris, France; Department of Agricultural Land Management (DALaM), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Vientiane, Lao PDR.

PMID: 31964602
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.12.007

Abstract

In the quest for sustainable intensification of crop production, we discuss the option of extending the root depth of crops to increase the volume of soil exploited by their root systems. We discuss the evidence that deeper rooting can be obtained by appropriate choice of crop species, by plant breeding, or crop management and its potential contributions to production and sustainable development goals. Many studies highlight the potentials of deeper rooting, but we evaluate its contributions to sustainable intensification of crop production, the causes of the limited research into deep rooting of crops, and the research priorities to fill the knowledge gaps.

Keywords: carbon sequestration; deep nutrient uptake; deep rooting; subsoil water uptake; sustainable intensification.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Agriculture*
Breeding
Crops, Agricultural
Plant Roots*
Soil

Substances

Soil