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In this commentary, we consider the novel results presented by Brown et al.(2017) in their article in this Issue of Plant and Soil titled BThe rhizosheath–a potential trait for future agricultural sustainability occurs in orders throughout the angiosperms^. Brown et al.(2017) report a robust method for screening the presence/absence and strength of rhizosheaths. They then use this method to identify the presence of rhizosheaths in many plant species across many angiosperm orders, leading them to suggest a central role for the rhizosheath in the breeding of crops for future agricultural systems. Given these findings, we present and discuss some issues that require consideration if we are to advance research on the rhizosheath for practical application.