Root system architecture (RSA) is crucial for plant survival and productivity, particularly as environmental conditions grow more variable and uncertain. With climate change intensifying abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency, heat, and flooding, a deeper understanding of how roots perceive, respond to, and adapt to these challenges is crucial for enhancing crop resilience. This review brings together current insights into the structural and functional elements of RSA and examines the diverse morphological, anatomical, and physiological adjustments roots make under major stress conditions. It highlights the hormonal and molecular signalling networks, including auxin, cytokinin, ABA, key transcription factors, and stress-responsive microRNAs, that regulate RSA remodelling. The review also summarises advancements in phenotyping technologies, such as rhizotrons, X-ray CT, and computational platforms, that have significantly improved RSA analysis. In addition, we discuss the contributions of the root-associated microbiome to stress-responsive root development. Hence, RSA underscores as a critical yet underexploited target for developing climate-resilient crops.
Jha et al. (Mon,) studied this question.