Abstract Improving our understanding of drought tolerance of crops is essential in light of future predicted changes in rainfall, decreased groundwater availability, and increasing temperatures. With a focus on above ground traits, significant improvements in drought tolerance of plants has occurred. With such gains plateauing, we have sought to quantify the belowground functional interactions between plant roots and soil in relation to drought tolerance. Using physical, chemical and biological approaches, we compared drought tolerant and sensitive model plants to demonstrate that a tolerant plant alters both the surrounding pore geometry and the relative abundance of bacteria and upregulates the development of a slow wetting rhizosheath, which increases water uptake under drought conditions. We propose that such rhizosheath traits can be targeted to modify the biophysical properties of the rhizosheath to access water in drought conditions.

中文翻译：

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土壤微生境的根系工程驱动耐旱作物的高可用水量

摘要 鉴于未来预测的降雨量变化、地下水可用量减少和温度升高，提高我们对作物耐旱性的理解至关重要。通过关注地上性状，植物的耐旱性有了显着提高。随着这种收益趋于稳定，我们试图量化植物根系和土壤之间与耐旱性相关的地下功能相互作用。使用物理、化学和生物方法，我们比较了耐旱和敏感的模型植物，以证明耐旱植物改变了周围的孔隙几何形状和细菌的相对丰度，并上调了缓慢润湿的根鞘的发育，从而增加了干旱条件下的吸水量使适应。