Conclusions
Our comparative analysis revealed that modern barley displays more
fast-to-acquire traits than its wild counterpart. Greater leaf N and
chlorophyll content accompanied by faster root growth rate as well as
greater organic C and PHO exudation rates support previous evidence that
modern crops are bred to perform optimally by quickly acquiring soil
resources under intensive management practices. Further, our results
highlighted a mismatch between above- and below-ground trait-trait
coordination between modern and wild barley that was further intensified
by soil microbiome. These results may have far-reaching implications.
First, we need to understand such above- and below-ground trait
coordination of modern crops to investigate how the “out-of-focus”
root and root traits were impacted by domestication and management
practices. This information will be crucial to promote sustainability in
cropping systems through reduced external inputs and ability to
withstand more extreme abiotic conditions once we identify the efficient
root traits to acquire soil resources. Trait network analysis
highlighted how domestication led to mismatches between above- and
below-ground traits. These results provide important information for
novel crop breeding programs focused on developing crops to perform
optimally under reduced external inputs and high microbial diversity in
soils.