Down-to-up biomass shift optimizes energy allocation, water use and yield formation in dryland wheats

摘要

1.Biomass distribution pattern is widely recognized as a strategy for plant to adapt to adverse environments and accordingly directs crop architectural development and resource utilization.Dryland wheats experienced a long-term natural selection and artificial domestication on the basis of their wild relatives;however, its evolutional trend of biomass distribution and ecological mechanism remain unknown.We therefore propose a hypothesis that upward shift of biomass from the root system to the aboveground part may act as a critical ecological indicator of optimized energy allocation, water use and yield formation in long-term evolutionary program of dryland wheats.