Phenotyping Root and Shoot Traits for Drought Response in Bambara Groundnut ( Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.).

Abstract

Drought stress poses a significant challenge to food security in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for smallholder farmers in dryland systems. Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.), an underutilised legume with inherent drought tolerance, remains underexplored in terms of its root system traits. This greenhouse study investigated the early root and shoot responses of six Bambara groundnut genotypes under well-watered (100% field capacity) and water-stressed (50% field capacity) conditions using rhizotron-based phenotyping. Significant genotypic differences ( p < 0.01) were observed in root traits such as root system depth (RSD: 11.0-19.9 cm), root system width (RSW: 6.96-12.2 cm), and root dry mass (RDM: 0.42-1.27 g). The ARC genotype exhibited a strong drought-avoidance strategy, increasing RSD from 12.2 to 19.9 cm and RDM from 0.42 to 1.16 g under stress. The Tiga Nicuru DIP-C-F7471 genotype showed adaptive plasticity, maintaining deeper roots (11.0-14.5 cm), high convex hull area (CHA), and root-shoot ratio (RSR) values, despite a reduction in RDM, suggesting a resource-conserving strategy. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) captured 93.6% of the total variability among genotypes. Root traits, particularly total root length (TRL), convex hull area (CHA), root system width (RSW), and root dry mass (RDM), were the main contributors to genotype differentiation. Strong positive correlations (r = 0.88-0.97) between root and shoot traits suggest that genotypes with more developed root systems also supported greater shoot growth, highlighting the coordinated response of above- and below-ground traits under drought stress. These findings provide valuable targets for breeding and highlight the value of rhizotron-based screening for root trait selection. Future field validation and full-season studies are recommended to confirm their relevance for improving yield stability in dryland agriculture.

Plant phenotyping relevance

根系・地上部形質を取得するrhizotron-based phenotypingを用い、そのスクリーニング価値を主要な貢献として扱っているため、植物フェノタイピング手法の実質的応用に該当する。

Code and data availability

No public paper-specific assets are available. The article describes greenhouse rhizotron phenotyping of six Bambara groundnut genotypes, but the only data availability statement directs readers to contact the corresponding author; no public dataset, image, code, or model repository is mentioned, and no allowed URLs (e

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