Abstract
Wheat, one of the most important food crops globally, is often severely affected by environmental stresses such as drought. The root system architecture plays a crucial role in wheat’s drought resistance, with factors such as root depth, density, branching, and gravitropic growth characteristics directly determining its ability to adapt to drought conditions. This paper first explores the influence of root gravitropism and hydrotropism on root system architecture and the mechanisms by which these traits contribute to drought adaptation. Next, it focuses on the genetic and molecular regulation of root system architecture, discussing how gene editing and traditional breeding techniques can improve wheat root systems to enhance drought resistance. The regulatory roles of environmental factors and rhizosphere microorganisms on root development are also analyzed in detail. Additionally, this paper summarizes current root phenotyping and reconstruction technologies, introducing high-resolution methods for wheat root structure reconstruction. Finally, it discusses drought resistance evaluation indicators and their field applications. By reviewing the latest progress in research on wheat root system architecture and drought resistance, this paper provides technical references for drought-resistant breeding programs.
