Abstract Detail

Crops and Wild Relatives

Wedger, Marshall [1], Topp, Christopher [2], Olsen, Kenneth M. [3].

The Hidden half of weedy rice – 3D imaging to identify weediness-associated root traits.

Agricultural weeds that have evolved from de-domesticated (feral) crop plants cause millions of dollars in annual yield loss worldwide and are one of the primary barriers to increasing global crop productivity. Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) is a de-domesticated form of rice that has evolved multiple times independently from different cultivated rice varieties. In the US, two weedy rice ecotypes coexist in rice fields and heavily outcompete the crop. The below-ground root system architecture has been relatively unstudied in these populations despite its presumed importance for nutrient uptake and competitive success. Using two previously published US weed × crop mapping populations we performed 3D root image analysis and show that the weeds differ consistently from the crop in predictable ways. Furthermore, by mapping root traits to the weedy rice genome, we show that there is little evidence for convergent evolution on the genetic level despite clear convergent phenotypic evolution.

1 - Washington University In St. Louis, Biology, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, United States
2 - Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
3 - Washington University, Biology Dept., Campus Box 1137, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, United States

Keywords:
Weedy Rice
3D Root Imaging
QTL Mapping.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Crops and Wild Relatives
Location: Grand Ballroom - Exhibit Hall/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PCW007
Abstract ID:398
Candidate for Awards:None