Effects of kin recognition on root traits of wheat germplasm over 100 years of breeding

Abstract

Plant root and shoot growth has been shown to depend on the relatedness of co-cultivated genotypes, implying the existence of kin recognition mechanisms mediated by root exudates. If confirmed, this has important implications for crop breeding. We present the first large-sale investigation of kin recognition in a crop germplasm collection comprising 30 North-European cultivars and landraces of spring wheat, spanning 100 years of breeding history. In a full diallel in vitro bioassay, we compared root growth of seedlings when growing in pure substrate, or in substrate previously occupied by a donor seedling from the same (KIN) or another (NONKIN) genotype. Seedlings growing in KIN or NONKIN substrate generally had longer but not more roots than seedlings growing in pure substrate. Responses were generally larger in longer roots, suggesting that root elongation was promoted throughout the growth period. Responses to KIN and NONKIN substrates were found to range from positive to negative, with root length responses to kin being increasingly positive with year of release. Seedlings growing in KIN substrate generally had shorter but not fewer roots than seedlings growing in NONKIN substrate. This kin recognition ranged from positive to negative across the specific donor-receiver combinations and did not change systematically with year of release of either genotype. Root traits in both KIN and NONKIN substrate were affected by both donor and receiver genotype, and these effects were generally larger than the effect of specific combinations. Genotypes showing higher levels of kin recognition also tended to invoke larger responses in other genotypes. Kin recognition was reduced in most cases by the addition of sodiumorthovanadate, a chemical inhibitor, supporting the hypothesis that kin responses were mediated by changes in the chemical constitution of the substrate. The identified patterns of kin recognition across the germplasm collection were complex, suggesting a multigenic background and shared breeding history of the genotypes. We conclude that kin response represents a potential target for crop breeding which can improve root foraging and competitive interactions.