Contemporary agriculture consists primarily of short-lived (annual) plants and long-lived (perennial) woody species; but there is a third group of plants that exist in nature, herbaceous perennials, that holds exceptional promise for agriculture, but was never domesticated for use as crops.  Herbaceous perennial plants provide harvests over multiple years and offer significant ecosystem services. With increasing interest in developing perennial herbaceous species for agriculture, research has focused on relationships among above- and belowground traits which can provide insights into their agricultural and ecological potential. American licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) is a perennial, herbaceous species native to North America with a rich ethnobotanical history by indigenous peoples. We aimed to understand relationships among traits in G. lepidota in plants from 20 geographically distinct populations by collecting above- and belowground traits. Aboveground traits included spectra collected using handheld spectrometers and biomass. To characterize root traits, roots were scanned on a scanner and RhizoVision Explorer was used to estimate total root length, diameter, and area. We found that root traits were strongly positively correlated with one another. We also found positive correlations between above- and belowground traits. Lastly we found that root traits were associated with leaf reflectance spectra. This study offers insights into how selection on target traits in breeding programs will influence other traits through correlated responses. These data provide evidence that increases in aboveground biomass may be accompanied with concomitant increases in root biomass, indicating that agricultural production and ecosystem services can be achieved in perennial, herbaceous crops of the future.

Dr. Matthew Rubin has had a profound impact on Vivian’s work in the Miller lab. When Vivian joined the lab as a sophomore, Dr. Rubin was her first mentor as she strived to develop her skills as an undergraduate researcher. His patience, intellectual insight, and kindness played a critical role in the success of her project. Vivian would also like to thank Dr. Allison Miller for the support of her project and the encouragement she provided to support Vivian's development as a scientific researcher.