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.