A review from researchers at Northwest A&F University outlines a framework for breeding crops that enhance soil carbon storage while maintaining — or even improving — productivity. Crops should be bred to not only bring higher yields, but store more carbon, according to Chinese researchers — who also set the stall out for how it could be done.
The team, based at Northwest A&F University in Yangling, reviewed research to date on breeding crops to improve crop yield and biomass. They noted that while there is an established correlation between root biomass and soil organic carbon, breeding for below-ground crop traits, crucial for this long-term carbon sequestration in plant material, has been “largely untapped.”
They pointed to research in cereal crops which has resulted in higher above-ground biomass and yield, with either no change or a decrease in below-ground biomass. At the same time, other work has shown that root biomass is positively related to shoot biomass and yield.