Belowground competition increases root allocation in agreement with game-theoretical predictions, but only when plants simultaneously compete aboveground

Competition among plants can lead to allocation strategies that favor individual competitiveness at the expense of group-level productivity. However, the role of root and shoot responses in driving these outcomes is intensely debated. Experimental approaches often have difficulty disentangling above- and belowground interactions due to the confounding effects of pot size and nutrient distribution. Here, we used physical dividers and varied inter-plant distances (3–24 cm) in soybean to isolate competitive interactions while controlling for these confounding effects. Simultaneous above- and belowground competition increased relative root allocation, but reduced total biomass. Aboveground competition alone had stronger effects, triggering shade avoidance and reducing both shoot and root biomass. This likely overrode belowground cues. These results underscore the significance of neighbor-induced responses, particularly under full competition, as pivotal drivers of allocation patterns and promising targets for breeding strategies that enhance collective crop performance.