[Morphology of wheat roots under low-phosphorus stress]

The morphology of root systems of different wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under low-phosphorus stress were studied to determine the effects of external factors on components of root system and the early morphological indicators related to phosphorus efficiency. The number of root axes and the length of lateral root of P-deficient plant were significantly lower than those of P-sufficient plant. The length of root axis and root system, and the number of lateral roots were sharply increased under low-P stress. The number and length of root axis were significantly different under different levels of phosphorus supply and among different wheat genotypes under same phosphorus supply. This implied that the two traits (number and length of root axis) were controlled by genotype and external factors. The difference in the characteristics of lateral root of the given wheat genotypes was significant only between different levels of P supply. It showed that the traits of lateral root mainly depended on external factors. The length and number of root axis, root length, and root angle were significantly different among 6 wheat genotypes. There exited significant linear relationships between relative grain yield and the interaction of the morphological traits, and it implied that the traits could be used as early indicators of selecting high P-efficiency wheat varieties.