DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4nb
title: Functional trait measurements of wheat

description: Crop domestication has led to the development of distinct trait syndromes,
 a series of constrained plant trait trade-offs to maximize yield in
 high-input agricultural environments, and potentially constrained trait
 plasticity. Yet, with the ongoing transition to organic and diversified
 agroecosystems, which create more heterogeneous nutrient availability,
 this constrained plasticity, especially in root functional traits, may be
 undesirable for nutrient acquisition. Such agricultural systems require a
 nuanced understanding of the soil-crop continuum under organic amendments
 and with intercropping, and the role crop genetic resources play in
 governing nutrient management and design. In this study, we use a
 functional traits lens to determine if crops with a range of domestication
 histories express different functional trait plasticity and how this
 expression changes with soil amendments and intercropping. We utilize a
 common garden experiment including five wheat (Triticum aestivum)
 varietals with a range of domestication histories planted in a factorial
 combination with amendment type (organic and inorganic) and cropping
 design (monoculture or intercropped with soybean). We use bivariate,
 multivariate and trait space analyses to quantify trait variation and
 plasticity in five leaf and five root functional traits. Almost all leaf
 and root traits varied among varieties. Yet, amendment type was nearly
 inconsequential for explaining trait expression across varieties. However,
 intercropping was linked to significant differences in root acquisitive
 strategies, regardless of the varietals’ distinct history. Our findings
 show substantial leaf and root trait plasticity, with roots expressing
 greater trait space occupation with domestication, but also the strong
 role of management in crop trait expression. We underscore the utility of
 a functional trait-based approach to understand plant-soil dynamics with
 organic amendments, as well as the role of crop genetic histories in the
 successful transition to low-input and diversified agroecosystems.
description: # Functional Trait Measurements of Wheat
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4nb](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4nb) We utilize a common garden experiment including five wheat (*Triticum aestivum*) varietals with a range of domestication histories planted in a factorial combination with amendment type (organic and inorganic) and cropping design (monoculture or intercropped with soybean). We use bivariate, multivariate and trait space analyses to quantify trait variation and plasticity in five leaf and five root functional traits. Almost all leaf and root traits varied among varieties. Yet, amendment type was nearly inconsequential for explaining trait expression across varieties. However, intercropping was linked to significant differences in root acquisitive strategies, regardless of the varietals’ distinct history. Our findings show substantial leaf and root trait plasticity, with roots expressing greater trait space occupation with domestication, but also the strong role of management in crop trait expression. ## Description of the data and file structure Please find all data descriptions, units, and short forms in the second sheet titled "Legend". All units are as noted here. Missing values are marked with "null" in the cell. ## Sharing/Access information Data was derived from the following sources: * Field measurements performed by the authors in the summer of 2020