Role of Wheat Genes in Phosphorus Acquisition and Root Architecture.

The wheat plant requires elevated phosphorus levels for its normal growth and yield, but continuously depleting non-renewable phosphorus reserves in the soil is one of the biggest challenges in agricultural production worldwide. The () gene has been reported to play a key role in efficient P uptake, deeper rooting, and high yield in rice. However, the function of the gene in wheat is still unclear. In this study, a total of 22 orthologs were identified in the wheat genome, and found that wheat orthologs are unevenly distributed on chromosomes, and these genes were under strong purifying selection. Under different phosphorus regimes, wheat genes showed differential expression patterns in different tissues. These results strengthen the classification of Pakistan-13 as a P-efficient cultivar and Shafaq-06 as a P-inefficient cultivar. Phenotypic characterization demonstrated that Pakistan-13 wheat cultivar has significantly increased P uptake, root length, root volume, and root surface area compared to Shafaq-06. Some wheat orthologs are co-localized with phosphorus starvation's related quantitative trait loci (QTLs), suggesting their potential role in phosphorus use efficiency. Altogether, these results highlight the role of the wheat genes in wheat P uptake, root architecture, and efficient plant growth. This comprehensive study will be helpful for devising sustainable strategies for wheat crop production and adaptation to phosphorus insufficiency.