Traits to Carrot About: Assessing Functional Trait Variation Across Climatic Conditions in Daucus carota

Agriculture is a leading contributor to climate change and environmental degradation. From CO2 emissions to biodiversity loss, water and soil pollution, conventional agriculture is among the most damaging practices to Earth’s spheres. Diversified farming is hypothesized to represent a more sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture, with more diverse farms expected to be more resistant and resilient to environmental change, while mitigating agriculture impacts on the environment. Specifically, greater functional diversity—notably diversity in leaf and root traits—on farms is expected to confer greater rates of ecosystem functioning. However, studies evaluating the extent, causes, and consequences of functional trait variation for some of the world’s most common crops remain limited. This study quantified variations in 16 above- and belowground traits related to resource acquisition, water use, and yield, across ~280 individuals of seven orange carrot (Daucus carota) varieties, growing on eight farms within four climate site types. Most traits except for δ 13C and chlorophyll content varied statistically across farms, with less consistent patterns of trait variation across carrot varieties. Broadly, rates of aboveground traits seemed to trade-off against belowground resource acquisition. Specifically, the Bolero variety, bred for reliable storage, flavour, and yield, expressed the highest average maximum photosynthetic rates (Amax; 12.9±1.0 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1), while also expressing the lowest average dry root mass (0.85±0.14 g) and stem diameter (6.4±0.4 mm); meanwhile varieties such as Orange Strain Cross—bred for broad adaptation to diverse growing environments, a deep orange colour, excellent flavour, and cavity spot and nematode resistance. - -expressed the lowest average Amax (9.1±1.0 0 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1) with the highest average dry root mass (2.7±0.7 g), carrot diameter (25.6±1.5 mm), and length (13.5±1.1 cm). Variance partitioning analysis indicated that farm identity was the primary factor explaining variation in all physiological and many morphological traits, including the maximum root length, stem diameter, above ground biomass, leaf dry mass, leaf mass per area, and leaf C and N concentrations. Moving forward we suggest the use of functional diversity and therefore functional traits, such as the traits of the root or leaf economic spectrums, as a key measurement to understand the role each species plays in an ecosystem and their interactions. We further recommend the use of organic practices and selective breeding, especially using regional adaptation to ensure crops are adapted to changing climatic conditions.

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