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Title: Impoverishing Roots Will Improve Wheat Yield and Profitability Through Increased Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies

Abstract

Abstract More than a 60% increase in crop production is required by the 2050's to feed a growing world population. Understanding how plant functional traits and field management affect crop yields has the potential to improve agricultural productivity, minimize economic and environmental losses, and maximize food security. We explored the influence of winter wheat root characteristics and management on winter wheat growth, yield, and profit using a mechanistic and well‐tested ecosystem and crop model, ecosys . We applied and further tested ecosys at an agricultural farm growing winter wheat in Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States. The model accurately predicted observed shoot carbon (  = 0.95), soil moisture (  = 0.67), soil temperature (  = 0.91), and yield (percent error = 17%). Numerical optimization experiments were conducted to explore potential improvements of winter wheat yield and profit by modifying root characteristics, including root radius and root:shoot carbon transfer conductance, and fertilizer inputs. Our results show the potential for simultaneously improving winter wheat yields and profits. The optimum conditions were found to be in the range of root radius between 0.1 and 0.3 mm, carbon transfer conductance between 0.004 and 0.01  , and the currently applied fertilizer rate of 112 kg  . Under these conditions, improvements in yields and profitsmore » of up to approximately 25% and 110%, respectively, were modeled compared to those under baseline root traits. These improvements were achieved by impoverishing root structures, thereby increasing nutrient allocation to grains. Our results also demonstrate and motivate model structures that integrate the complex network of plant physiology, soil nutrient biogeochemistry, hydrology, and management.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [4]; ORCiD logo [4];  [4]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Keimyung Univ., Deagu (Korea)
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Noble Research Institute LLC Ardmore OK USA
  4. Noble Research Institute LLC, Ardmore, OK (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
OSTI Identifier:
1845108
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1822550
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231; 2021R1C1C1004801; 16/CJ000/04/08
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 126; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Woo, D. K., Riley, W. J., Paez‐Garcia, A., Marklein, A. R., Mekonnen, Z. A., Liu, X., Ma, X., Blancaflor, E., and Wu, Y. Impoverishing Roots Will Improve Wheat Yield and Profitability Through Increased Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies. United States: N. p., 2021. Web. doi:10.1029/2020jg005829.
Woo, D. K., Riley, W. J., Paez‐Garcia, A., Marklein, A. R., Mekonnen, Z. A., Liu, X., Ma, X., Blancaflor, E., & Wu, Y. Impoverishing Roots Will Improve Wheat Yield and Profitability Through Increased Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jg005829
Woo, D. K., Riley, W. J., Paez‐Garcia, A., Marklein, A. R., Mekonnen, Z. A., Liu, X., Ma, X., Blancaflor, E., and Wu, Y. Fri . "Impoverishing Roots Will Improve Wheat Yield and Profitability Through Increased Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jg005829. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1845108.
@article{osti_1845108,
title = {Impoverishing Roots Will Improve Wheat Yield and Profitability Through Increased Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies},
author = {Woo, D. K. and Riley, W. J. and Paez‐Garcia, A. and Marklein, A. R. and Mekonnen, Z. A. and Liu, X. and Ma, X. and Blancaflor, E. and Wu, Y.},
abstractNote = {Abstract More than a 60% increase in crop production is required by the 2050's to feed a growing world population. Understanding how plant functional traits and field management affect crop yields has the potential to improve agricultural productivity, minimize economic and environmental losses, and maximize food security. We explored the influence of winter wheat root characteristics and management on winter wheat growth, yield, and profit using a mechanistic and well‐tested ecosystem and crop model, ecosys . We applied and further tested ecosys at an agricultural farm growing winter wheat in Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States. The model accurately predicted observed shoot carbon (  = 0.95), soil moisture (  = 0.67), soil temperature (  = 0.91), and yield (percent error = 17%). Numerical optimization experiments were conducted to explore potential improvements of winter wheat yield and profit by modifying root characteristics, including root radius and root:shoot carbon transfer conductance, and fertilizer inputs. Our results show the potential for simultaneously improving winter wheat yields and profits. The optimum conditions were found to be in the range of root radius between 0.1 and 0.3 mm, carbon transfer conductance between 0.004 and 0.01  , and the currently applied fertilizer rate of 112 kg  . Under these conditions, improvements in yields and profits of up to approximately 25% and 110%, respectively, were modeled compared to those under baseline root traits. These improvements were achieved by impoverishing root structures, thereby increasing nutrient allocation to grains. Our results also demonstrate and motivate model structures that integrate the complex network of plant physiology, soil nutrient biogeochemistry, hydrology, and management.},
doi = {10.1029/2020jg005829},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences},
number = 9,
volume = 126,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Aug 27 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Fri Aug 27 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}

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