The growth and performance of root systems can be enhanced by altered management practices, not just by plant breeding (Nature 466, 552–553; 2010).

Researchers in China, India, Thailand and Japan have shown how the structure and function of rice roots, for instance, can be improved by modifying factors such as seedling age, plant spacing, water management, active soil aeration and sources of fertilization. Plants with better root systems become more efficient at using water and fixing carbon dioxide and are more protected against drought and storm damage (see, for example, A. K. Thakur et al. Exp. Agr. 46, 77–98; 2010).

Changing crop physiology and morphology through altered culturing practices can help agriculture to meet the challenges of population growth and climate change in the decades ahead.