Root hair phenotypes influence nitrogen acquisition in maize.

Background And Aims: The utility of root hairs for nitrogen (N) acquisition is poorly understood.

Methods: We explored the utility of root hairs for N acquisition in the functional-structural model SimRoot and with maize genotypes with variable root hair length (RHL) in greenhouse and field environments.

Key Results: Simulation results indicate that long, dense root hairs can improve N acquisition under varying N availability.