Morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms of phenotypic root plasticity for rice adaptation to water stress conditions

Different types of water stress severely affect crop production, and the plant root system plays a critical role in stress avoidance. In the case of rice, a cereal crop cultivated under the widest range of soil hydrologic conditions, from irrigated anaerobic conditions to rainfed conditions, phenotypic root plasticity is of particular relevance. Recently, important plastic root traits under different water stress conditions, and their physiological and molecular mechanisms have been gradually understood. In this review, we summarize these plastic root traits and their contributions to dry matter production through enhancement of water uptake under different water stress conditions. We also discuss the physiological and molecular mechanisms regulating the phenotypic plasticity of root systems.