Plant growth and development rely on water and mineral nutrients, and the root system architecture (RSA) is critical in obtaining these resources from soil. Root system architecture, that is, “the spatial configuration of the root system”, has a profound effect on a plant's ability to acquire water and nutrients While nutrient deficiency can significantly alter the root system architecture. Plants also evolved so that they can better survive and grow under nutrient‐limited conditions by modifying their the root system architecture. Under P deficiency, the increase in the root/shoot ratio is mainly due to a decrease in shoot growth and to an increase in the allocation of carbon from shoots to roots in addition to changing the RSA, P deficiency enhances the expression of Pi transporters in roots both transcriptionally and post‐transcriptionally to increase P‐acquisition efficiency. For most plant species, to a greater or lesser extent, P deficiency triggers root exudates that include acid phosphatases and RNases. These exudates help solubilize Pi that is fixed to metals and release Pi from organophosphate compounds, therefore increasing Pi availability for plant uptake. Other P deficiency responses include the accumulation of anthocyanins in shoots (to protect the membranes of chloroplasts from photo damage) and synthesis of glycolipids and sulfolipids.