AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGY, 2016, V. 51, ¹ 1, pp. 68-78 ISSN 2412-0324 (English ed. Online) (SEL’SKOKHOZYAISTVENNAYA BIOLOGIYA) ISSN 0131-6397 (Russian ed. Print) ISSN 2313-4836 (Russian ed. Online) Landraces and scientifically-bred varieties — factors of adaptation doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2016.1.68rus doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2016.1.68eng COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ROOT SYSTEMS AND ROOT EXUDATION OF SYNTHETIC, LANDRACE AND MODERN WHEAT VARIETIES A.I. SHAPOSHNIKOV1, A.I. MORGOUNOV2, B. AKIN2, N.M. MAKAROVA1, A.A. BELIMOV1, I.A. TIKHONOVICH1, 3 Podbel’skogo, St. Petersburg, 196608 Russia, e-mail belimov@rambler.ru; ai-shaposhnikov@mail.ru; a.morgounov@CGIAR.ORG; 7-9, Universitetskaya nab., St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia Acknowledgements: Study of root exudates isolation was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (15-04-09023-а). <...> Experiments on root exudates chromatography were supported by Russian Science Foundation grant (14-26-00094). <...> Experiments in CIMMYT-Turkey were supported by CRP WHEAT and Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2016.1.68eng A b s t r a c t Finding ways to increase the wheat adaptation to drought is now considered as a major problem in breeding new varieties of this crop. <...> This study was conducted to evaluate genotypic differences in fundamental root traits which may have effect on wheat adaptation to unfavorable environments, including drought. <...> Three wheat genotypes representing various evolution levels of hexaploid bread wheat ( LEUCURUM 84693 of durum wheat ( Tausch's goat grass ( L.) were used: synthetic wheat developed by crossing variety Desf., genome АВ, Ukraine) with wild Coss., genome D, Turkey), landrace of bread wheat Albostan (genome ABD, Turkey, province Nevşehir), and a modern cultivar Karahan (genome ABD, Turkey). <...> The varieties differed in root diameter, shoot biomass and shoot/root ratio. <...> The removal of above ground biomass caused increase in the root length, number of tips, number of forks, number of crosses and shoot/root biomass ratio of synthetic wheat and Albostan, but decreased these parameters in Karahan. <...> Averaged values of ten measured growth parameters of the plants with removed above ground biomass relatively to the control plants were +28 % for synthetic <...>