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Voothuluru P, Wu Y, Sharp RE. Not so hidden anymore: Advances and challenges in understanding root growth under water deficits. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:1377-1409. [PMID: 38382086 PMCID: PMC11062450 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Limited water availability is a major environmental factor constraining plant development and crop yields. One of the prominent adaptations of plants to water deficits is the maintenance of root growth that enables sustained access to soil water. Despite early recognition of the adaptive significance of root growth maintenance under water deficits, progress in understanding has been hampered by the inherent complexity of root systems and their interactions with the soil environment. We highlight selected milestones in the understanding of root growth responses to water deficits, with emphasis on founding studies that have shaped current knowledge and set the stage for further investigation. We revisit the concept of integrated biophysical and metabolic regulation of plant growth and use this framework to review central growth-regulatory processes occurring within root growth zones under water stress at subcellular to organ scales. Key topics include the primary processes of modifications of cell wall-yielding properties and osmotic adjustment, as well as regulatory roles of abscisic acid and its interactions with other hormones. We include consideration of long-recognized responses for which detailed mechanistic understanding has been elusive until recently, for example hydrotropism, and identify gaps in knowledge, ongoing challenges, and opportunities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Voothuluru
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Yajun Wu
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
| | - Robert E Sharp
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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2
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Jensen CNG, Pang JKY, Gottardi M, Kračun SK, Svendsen BA, Nielsen KF, Kovács ÁT, Moelbak L, Fimognari L, Husted S, Schulz A. Bacillus subtilis promotes plant phosphorus (P) acquisition through P solubilization and stimulation of root and root hair growth. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14338. [PMID: 38740528 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Bacteria can be applied as biofertilizers to improve crop growth in phosphorus (P)-limited conditions. However, their mode of action in a soil environment is still elusive. We used the strain ALC_02 as a case study to elucidate how Bacillus subtilis affects dwarf tomato cultivated in soil-filled rhizoboxes over time. ALC_02 improved plant P acquisition by increasing the size and P content of P-limited plants. We assessed three possible mechanisms, namely root growth stimulation, root hair elongation, and solubilization of soil P. ALC_02 produced auxin, and inoculation with ALC_02 promoted root growth. ALC_02 promoted root hair elongation as the earliest observed response and colonized root hairs specifically. Root and root hair growth stimulation was associated with a subsequent increase in plant P content, indicating that a better soil exploration by the root system improved plant P acquisition. Furthermore, ALC_02 affected the plant-available P content in sterilized soil differently over time and released P from native P pools in the soil. Collectively, ALC_02 exhibited all three mechanisms in a soil environment. To our knowledge, bacterial P biofertilizers have not been reported to colonize and elongate root hairs in the soil so far, and we propose that these traits contribute to the overall effect of ALC_02. The knowledge gained in this research can be applied in the future quest for bacterial P biofertilizers, where we recommend assessing all three parameters, not only root growth and P solubilization, but also root hair elongation. This will ultimately support the development of sustainable agricultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Niketa Gadomska Jensen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Plant Health Innovation, Novonesis A/S, Taastrup, Denmark
| | - Janet Ka Yan Pang
- Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Ákos T Kovács
- Bacterial Interactions and Evolution Group, DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lars Moelbak
- Plant Health Innovation, Novonesis A/S, Taastrup, Denmark
| | | | - Søren Husted
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Alexander Schulz
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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3
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Zeng J, Wang Y, Wu G, Sun Q, He X, Zhang X, Sun X, Zhao Y, Liu W, Xu D, Dai X, Ma W. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Genes and Pathways Related to Wheat Root Hair Length. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2069. [PMID: 38396749 PMCID: PMC10889798 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Tube-like outgrowths from root epidermal cells, known as root hairs, enhance water and nutrient absorption, facilitate microbial interactions, and contribute to plant anchorage by expanding the root surface area. Genetically regulated and strongly influenced by environmental conditions, longer root hairs generally enhance water and nutrient absorption, correlating with increased stress resistance. Wheat, a globally predominant crop pivotal for human nutrition, necessitates the identification of long root hair genotypes and their regulatory genes to enhance nutrient capture and yield potential. This study focused on 261 wheat samples of diverse genotypes during germination, revealing noticeable disparities in the length of the root hair among the genotypes. Notably, two long root hair genotypes (W106 and W136) and two short root hair genotypes (W90 and W100) were identified. Transcriptome sequencing resulted in the development of 12 root cDNA libraries, unveiling 1180 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Further analyses, including GO function annotation, KEGG enrichment, MapMan metabolic pathway analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network prediction, underscored the upregulation of root hair length regulatory genes in the long root hair genotypes. These included genes are associated with GA and BA hormone signaling pathways, FRS/FRF and bHLH transcription factors, phenylpropanoid, lignin, lignan secondary metabolic pathways, the peroxidase gene for maintaining ROS steady state, and the ankyrin gene with diverse biological functions. This study contributes valuable insights into modulating the length of wheat root hair and identifies candidate genes for the genetic improvement of wheat root traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbin Zeng
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Yongmei Wang
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Gang Wu
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Qingyi Sun
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Xiaoyan He
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Xinyi Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Xuelian Sun
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Yan Zhao
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Wenxing Liu
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Dengan Xu
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Xuehuan Dai
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
| | - Wujun Ma
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (J.Z.); (X.Z.); (X.D.)
- Academy of Dongying Efficient Agricultural Technology and Industry on Saline and Alkaline Land in Collaboration with Qingdao Agricultural University, Dongying 257347, China
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4
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Quattrone A, Lopez-Guerrero M, Yadav P, Meier MA, Russo SE, Weber KA. Interactions between root hairs and the soil microbial community affect the growth of maize seedlings. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:611-628. [PMID: 37974552 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Root hairs are considered important for rhizosphere formation, which affects root system functioning. Through interactions with soil microorganisms mediated by root exudation, root hairs may affect the phenotypes and growth of young plants. We tested this hypothesis by integrating results from two experiments: (1) a factorial greenhouse seedling experiment with Zea mays B73-wt and its root-hairless mutant, B73-rth3, grown in live and autoclaved soil, quantifying 15 phenotypic traits, seven growth rates, and soil microbiomes and (2) a semi-hydroponic system quantifying root exudation of maize genotypes. Possibly as compensation for lacking root hairs, B73-rth3 seedlings allocated more biomass to roots and grew slower than B73-wt seedlings in live soil, whereas B73-wt seedlings grew slowest in autoclaved soil, suggesting root hairs can be costly and their benefits were realized with more complete soil microbial assemblages. There were substantial differences in root exudation between genotypes and in rhizosphere versus non-rhizosphere microbiomes. The microbial taxa enriched in the presence of root hairs generally enhanced growth compared to taxa enriched in their absence. Our findings suggest the root hairs' adaptive value extends to plant-microbe interactions mediated by root exudates, affecting plant phenotypes, and ultimately, growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Quattrone
- Complex Biosystems Ph.D. program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | | | - Pooja Yadav
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Michael A Meier
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Rancho Biosciences, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sabrina E Russo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karrie A Weber
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Daugherty Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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5
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Nasr Esfahani M, Sonnewald U. Unlocking dynamic root phenotypes for simultaneous enhancement of water and phosphorus uptake. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 207:108386. [PMID: 38280257 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) and water are crucial for plant growth, but their availability is challenged by climate change, leading to reduced crop production and global food security. In many agricultural soils, crop productivity is confronted by both water and P limitations. The diminished soil moisture decreases available P due to reduced P diffusion, and inadequate P availability diminishes tissue water status through modifications in stomatal conductance and a decrease in root hydraulic conductance. P and water display contrasting distributions in the soil, with P being concentrated in the topsoil and water in the subsoil. Plants adapt to water- and P-limited environments by efficiently exploring localized resource hotspots of P and water through the adaptation of their root system. Thus, developing cultivars with improved root architecture is crucial for accessing and utilizing P and water from arid and P-deficient soils. To meet this goal, breeding towards multiple advantageous root traits can lead to better cultivars for water- and P-limited environments. This review discusses the interplay of P and water availability and highlights specific root traits that enhance the exploration and exploitation of optimal resource-rich soil strata while reducing metabolic costs. We propose root ideotype models, including 'topsoil foraging', 'subsoil foraging', and 'topsoil/subsoil foraging' for maize (monocot) and common bean (dicot). These models integrate beneficial root traits and guide the development of water- and P-efficient cultivars for challenging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Nasr Esfahani
- Department of Biology, Chair of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Uwe Sonnewald
- Department of Biology, Chair of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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6
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Labella R, Bochicchio R, Addesso R, Labella D, Franco A, Falabella P, Amato M. Germination Behavior and Geographical Information System-Based Phenotyping of Root Hairs to Evaluate the Effects of Different Sources of Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens) Larval Frass on Herbaceous Crops. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:230. [PMID: 38256783 PMCID: PMC10819484 DOI: 10.3390/plants13020230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Insect larval frass has been proposed as a fertilizer and amendment, but methods for testing its effects on plants are poorly developed and need standardization. We obtained different types of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) frass via the factorial combination of (a) two insect diets, as follows: G (Gainesville = 50% wheat bran, 30% alfalfa meal, 20% maize meal) and W (43% sheep whey + 57% seeds); (b) two frass thermal treatments: NT = untreated and T = treated at 70 °C for 1 h. We tested the effects on the germination of cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) by applying 1:2 w:w water extracts at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% concentration. Standardizing frass water content before extraction affected chemical composition. Frass extracts showed high electrical conductivity (8.88 to 13.78 mS cm-1). The W diet was suppressive towards Escherichia coli and showed a lower content of nitrates (e.g., WNT 40% lower than GNT) and a concentration-dependent phytotoxic effect on germinating plants. At 25% concentration, germination indices of G were 4.5 to 40-fold those at 100%. Root and shoot length and root hair area were affected by diet and concentration of frass extracts (e.g., root and shoot length in cress at 25% were, respectively, 4.53 and 2 times higher than at 100%), whereas the effects of the thermal treatment were few or inconclusive. On barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown in micropots on a silty loam soil, root mass was reduced by 37% at high extract concentration. A quick procedure for root hair surface area was developed based on the geographic information system (GIS) and may provide a fast method for incorporating root hair phenotyping in frass evaluation. The results indicate that below-ground structures need to be addressed in research on frass effects. For this, phyotoxicity tests should encompass different extract dilutions, and frass water content should be standardized before extraction in the direction of canonical procedures to allow comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Labella
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (R.L.); (D.L.)
| | - Rocco Bochicchio
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (R.L.); (D.L.)
| | - Rosangela Addesso
- Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures, Environment, and Cultural Heritage, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy;
| | - Donato Labella
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (R.L.); (D.L.)
| | - Antonio Franco
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (A.F.); (P.F.)
- Spinoff XFlies s.r.l., University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Patrizia Falabella
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (A.F.); (P.F.)
- Spinoff XFlies s.r.l., University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Mariana Amato
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy; (R.L.); (D.L.)
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Affortit P, Ahmed MA, Grondin A, Delzon S, Carminati A, Laplaze L. Keep in touch: the soil-root hydraulic continuum and its role in drought resistance in crops. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:584-593. [PMID: 37549338 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Drought is a major threat to food security worldwide. Recently, the root-soil interface has emerged as a major site of hydraulic resistance during water stress. Here, we review the impact of soil drying on whole-plant hydraulics and discuss mechanisms by which plants can adapt by modifying the properties of the rhizosphere either directly or through interactions with the soil microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Affortit
- DIADE, IRD, CIRAD, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Root-Soil Interaction, School of Life Science, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | | | | | - Andrea Carminati
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Laplaze
- DIADE, IRD, CIRAD, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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8
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Mutanwad KV, Debreczeny M, Lucyshyn D. Root Hair Imaging Using Confocal Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2787:81-94. [PMID: 38656483 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3778-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Plant genetics plays a key role in determining root hair initiation and development. A complex network of genetic interactions therefore closely monitors and influences root hair phenotype and morphology. The significance of these genes can be studied by employing, for instance, loss-of-function mutants, overexpression plant lines, and fluorescently labeled constructs. Confocal laser scanning microscopy is a great tool to visually observe and document these morphological features. This chapter elaborates the techniques involved in handling of microscopic setup to acquire images displaying root hair distribution along the fully elongated zone of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Additionally, we illustrate an approach to visualize early fate determination of epidermal cells in the root apical meristem, by describing a method for imaging YFP tagged transgenic plant lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna Vasant Mutanwad
- Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Debreczeny
- Core Facility Multiscale Imaging, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Lucyshyn
- Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria.
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9
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Quattrone A, Yang Y, Yadav P, Weber KA, Russo SE. Nutrient and Microbiome-Mediated Plant-Soil Feedback in Domesticated and Wild Andropogoneae: Implications for Agroecosystems. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2978. [PMID: 38138123 PMCID: PMC10745641 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants influence the abiotic and biotic environment of the rhizosphere, affecting plant performance through plant-soil feedback (PSF). We compared the strength of nutrient and microbe-mediated PSF and its implications for plant performance in domesticated and wild grasses with a fully crossed greenhouse PSF experiment using four inbred maize genotypes (Zea mays ssp. mays b58, B73-wt, B73-rth3, and HP301), teosinte (Z. mays ssp. parviglumis), and two wild prairie grasses (Andropogon gerardii and Tripsacum dactyloides) to condition soils for three feedback species (maize B73-wt, teosinte, Andropogon gerardii). We found evidence of negative PSF based on growth, phenotypic traits, and foliar nutrient concentrations for maize B73-wt, which grew slower in maize-conditioned soil than prairie grass-conditioned soil. In contrast, teosinte and A. gerardii showed few consistent feedback responses. Both rhizobiome and nutrient-mediated mechanisms were implicated in PSF. Based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the rhizosphere bacterial community composition differed significantly after conditioning by prairie grass and maize plants, and the final soil nutrients were significantly influenced by conditioning, more so than by the feedback plants. These results suggest PSF-mediated soil domestication in agricultural settings can develop quickly and reduce crop productivity mediated by PSF involving changes to both the soil rhizobiomes and nutrient availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Quattrone
- Complex Biosystems Ph.D. Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0851, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA; (Y.Y.)
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0705, USA
| | - Yuguo Yang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA; (Y.Y.)
| | - Pooja Yadav
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA; (Y.Y.)
| | - Karrie A. Weber
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA; (Y.Y.)
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340, USA
- Daugherty Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-6203, USA
| | - Sabrina E. Russo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA; (Y.Y.)
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0705, USA
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10
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Chen S, Liu H, Yangzong Z, Gardea-Torresdey JL, White JC, Zhao L. Seed Priming with Reactive Oxygen Species-Generating Nanoparticles Enhanced Maize Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19932-19941. [PMID: 37975618 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c07339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Climate change-induced extreme weather events (heat, cold, drought, and flooding) will severely affect crop production. Increasing the resilience of crops to fluctuating environmental conditions is critically important. Here, we report that nanomaterials (NMs) with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating properties can be used as seed priming agents to simultaneously enhance the tolerance of maize seeds and seedlings to diverse and even multiple stresses. Maize seeds primed with 40 mg/L silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) exhibited accelerated seed germination and an increased germination rate, greater seedling vigor, and better seedling growth under drought (10% and 20% PEG), saline (50 and 100 mM NaCl), and cold (15 °C) stress conditions, indicating enhanced resilience to diverse stresses. Importantly, maize resistance to simultaneous multiple stresses (drought and cold, drought and salt, and salt and cold) was markedly enhanced. Under drought conditions, seed priming significantly boosted root hair density and length (17.3-82.7%), which enabled greater tolerance to water deficiency. RNA-seq analysis reveals that AgNPs seed priming induced a transcriptomic shift in maize seeds. Plant hormone signal transduction and MAPK signaling pathways were activated upon seed priming. Importantly, low-cost and environmentally friendly ROS-generating Fe-based NMs (Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 NPs) were also demonstrated to enhance the resistance of seeds and seedlings to drought, salt, and cold stresses. These findings demonstrate that a simple seed priming strategy can be used to significantly enhance the climate resilience of crops through modulated ROS homeostasis and that this approach could be a powerful nanoenabled tool for addressing worsening food insecurity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haolin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhaxi Yangzong
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jorge L Gardea-Torresdey
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States
| | - Jason C White
- The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Lijuan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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11
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Duddek P, Ahmed MA, Javaux M, Vanderborght J, Lovric G, King A, Carminati A. The effect of root hairs on root water uptake is determined by root-soil contact and root hair shrinkage. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:2484-2497. [PMID: 37525254 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The effect of root hairs on water uptake remains controversial. In particular, the key root hair and soil parameters that determine their importance have been elusive. We grew maize plants (Zea mays) in microcosms and scanned them using synchrotron-based X-ray computed microtomography. By means of image-based modelling, we investigated the parameters determining the effectiveness of root hairs in root water uptake. We explicitly accounted for rhizosphere features (e.g. root-soil contact and pore structure) and took root hair shrinkage of dehydrated root hairs into consideration. Our model suggests that > 85% of the variance in root water uptake is explained by the hair-induced increase in root-soil contact. In dry soil conditions, root hair shrinkage reduces the impact of hairs substantially. We conclude that the effectiveness of root hairs on root water uptake is determined by the hair-induced increase in root-soil contact and root hair shrinkage. Although the latter clearly reduces the effect of hairs on water uptake, our model still indicated facilitation of water uptake by root hairs at soil matric potentials from -1 to -0.1 MPa. Our findings provide new avenues towards a mechanistic understanding of the role of root hairs on water uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Duddek
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Root-Soil Interactions, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, D-85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Mathieu Javaux
- Agrosphere Institute, IBG-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jan Vanderborght
- Agrosphere Institute, IBG-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Goran Lovric
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Andrew King
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Mehra P, Fairburn R, Leftley N, Banda J, Bennett MJ. Turning up the volume: How root branching adaptive responses aid water foraging. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 75:102405. [PMID: 37379661 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Access to water is critical for all forms of life. Plants primarily access water through their roots. Root traits such as branching are highly sensitive to water availability, enabling plants to adapt their root architecture to match soil moisture distribution. Lateral root adaptive responses hydropatterning and xerobranching ensure new branches only form when roots are in direct contact with moist soil. Root traits are also strongly influenced by atmospheric humidity, where a rapid drop leads to a promotion of root growth and branching. The plant hormones auxin and/or abscisic acid (ABA) play key roles in regulating these adaptive responses. We discuss how these signals are part of a novel "water-sensing" mechanism that couples hormone movement with hydrodynamics to orchestrate root branching responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Mehra
- Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK.
| | - Rebecca Fairburn
- Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Nicola Leftley
- Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jason Banda
- Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Malcolm J Bennett
- Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK.
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13
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Abdalla M, Bitterlich M, Jansa J, Püschel D, Ahmed MA. The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in improving plant water status under drought. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:4808-4824. [PMID: 37409696 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been presumed to ameliorate crop tolerance to drought. Here, we review the role of AMF in maintaining water supply to plants from drying soils and the underlying biophysical mechanisms. We used a soil-plant hydraulic model to illustrate the impact of several AMF mechanisms on plant responses to edaphic drought. The AMF enhance the soil's capability to transport water and extend the effective root length, thereby attenuating the drop in matric potential at the root surface during soil drying. The synthesized evidence and the corresponding simulations demonstrate that symbiosis with AMF postpones the stress onset limit, which is defined as the disproportionality between transpiration rates and leaf water potentials, during soil drying. The symbiosis can thus help crops survive extended intervals of limited water availability. We also provide our perspective on future research needs and call for reconciling the dynamic changes in soil and root hydraulics in order to better understand the role of AMF in plant water relations in the face of climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohanned Abdalla
- Chair of Root-Soil Interaction, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Khartoum North, Sudan
| | - Michael Bitterlich
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Thaer-Institute, Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Jansa
- Laboratory of Fungal Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David Püschel
- Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Mutez A Ahmed
- Chair of Root-Soil Interaction, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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14
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Koehler T, Wankmüller FJP, Sadok W, Carminati A. Transpiration response to soil drying versus increasing vapor pressure deficit in crops: physical and physiological mechanisms and key plant traits. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:4789-4807. [PMID: 37354081 PMCID: PMC10474596 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
The water deficit experienced by crops is a function of atmospheric water demand (vapor pressure deficit) and soil water supply over the whole crop cycle. We summarize typical transpiration response patterns to soil and atmospheric drying and the sensitivity to plant hydraulic traits. We explain the transpiration response patterns using a soil-plant hydraulic framework. In both cases of drying, stomatal closure is triggered by limitations in soil-plant hydraulic conductance. However, traits impacting the transpiration response differ between the two drying processes and act at different time scales. A low plant hydraulic conductance triggers an earlier restriction in transpiration during increasing vapor pressure deficit. During soil drying, the impact of the plant hydraulic conductance is less obvious. It is rather a decrease in the belowground hydraulic conductance (related to soil hydraulic properties and root length density) that is involved in transpiration down-regulation. The transpiration response to increasing vapor pressure deficit has a daily time scale. In the case of soil drying, it acts on a seasonal scale. Varieties that are conservative in water use on a daily scale may not be conservative over longer time scales (e.g. during soil drying). This potential independence of strategies needs to be considered in environment-specific breeding for yield-based drought tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Koehler
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Fabian J P Wankmüller
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Walid Sadok
- Agronomy and Plant Genetics, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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15
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Adu MO, Zigah N, Yawson DO, Amoah KK, Afutu E, Atiah K, Darkwa AA, Asare PA. Plasticity of root hair and rhizosheath traits and their relationship to phosphorus uptake in sorghum. PLANT DIRECT 2023; 7:e521. [PMID: 37638231 PMCID: PMC10447916 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Sorghum is an essential crop for resilient and adaptive responses to climate change. The root systems of crop plants significantly contribute to the tolerance of abiotic stresses. There is little information on sorghum genotypes' root systems and plasticity to external P supply. In this paper, we investigated the variations in root systems, as well as the responses, trait relationships, and plasticity of two sorghum genotypes (Naga Red and Naga White), popularly grown in Ghana, to five external P concentrations ([P]ext): 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg P kg-1 soil. Sorghum plants were grown in greenhouse pots and harvested for root trait measurements at the five-leaf and growing point differentiation (GPD) developmental stages. The plants were responsive to [P]ext and formed rhizosheaths. The two genotypes showed similar characteristics for most of the traits measured but differed significantly in total and lateral root lengths in favor of the red genotype. For example, at the five-leaf growth stage, the lateral root length of the red and white genotypes was 22.8 and 16.2 cm, respectively, but 124 and 88.9 cm, at the GPD stage. The responses and plasticity of the root system traits, including rhizosheath, to [P]ext were more prominent, positive, and linear at the five-leaf stage than at the GPD growth stage. At the five-leaf growth stage, total root length increased by about 2.5-fold with increasing [P]ext compared to the unamended soil. At the GPD stage, however, total root length decreased by about 1.83-fold as [P]ext increased compared to the unamended soil. Specific rhizosheath weight correlated with RHD, albeit weakly, and together explained up to 59% of the variation in tissue P. Root hair density was more responsive to P supply than root hair length and showed a similar total and lateral root length pattern. Most desirable responses to P occurred at a rate of 200-300 mg P kg-1 soil. It is concluded that sorghum would form rhizosheath, and [P]ext could be critical for the early vigorous growth of sorghum's responsive root and shoot traits. Beyond the early days of development, additional P application might be necessary to sustain the responses and plasticity observed during the early growth period, but this requires further investigation, potentially under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael O. Adu
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - Nathaniel Zigah
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - David O. Yawson
- Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)The University of the West IndiesBridgetownBarbados
| | - Kwadwo K. Amoah
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - Emmanuel Afutu
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - Kofi Atiah
- Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - Alfred A. Darkwa
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
| | - Paul A. Asare
- Department of Crop Science, School of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural SciencesUniversity of Cape CoastCape CoastGhana
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16
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Rowland L, Ramírez-Valiente JA, Hartley IP, Mencuccini M. How woody plants adjust above- and below-ground traits in response to sustained drought. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023. [PMID: 37306017 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Future increases in drought severity and frequency are predicted to have substantial impacts on plant function and survival. However, there is considerable uncertainty concerning what drought adjustment is and whether plants can adjust to sustained drought. This review focuses on woody plants and synthesises the evidence for drought adjustment in a selection of key above-ground and below-ground plant traits. We assess whether evaluating the drought adjustment of single traits, or selections of traits that operate on the same plant functional axis (e.g. photosynthetic traits) is sufficient, or whether a multi-trait approach, integrating across multiple axes, is required. We conclude that studies on drought adjustments in woody plants might overestimate the capacity for adjustment to drier environments if spatial studies along gradients are used, without complementary experimental approaches. We provide evidence that drought adjustment is common in above-ground and below-ground traits; however, whether this is adaptive and sufficient to respond to future droughts remains uncertain for most species. To address this uncertainty, we must move towards studying trait integration within and across multiple axes of plant function (e.g. above-ground and below-ground) to gain a holistic view of drought adjustments at the whole-plant scale and how these influence plant survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Rowland
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK
| | | | - Iain P Hartley
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Maurizio Mencuccini
- CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, 08010, Spain
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17
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Abdalla M, Schweiger AH, Berauer BJ, McAdam SAM, Ahmed MA. Constant hydraulic supply and ABA dynamics facilitate the trade-offs in water and carbon. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1140938. [PMID: 37008480 PMCID: PMC10064056 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1140938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Carbon-water trade-offs in plants are adjusted through stomatal regulation. Stomatal opening enables carbon uptake and plant growth, whereas plants circumvent drought by closing stomata. The specific effects of leaf position and age on stomatal behavior remain largely unknown, especially under edaphic and atmospheric drought. Here, we compared stomatal conductance (gs ) across the canopy of tomato during soil drying. We measured gas exchange, foliage ABA level and soil-plant hydraulics under increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Our results indicate a strong effect of canopy position on stomatal behavior, especially under hydrated soil conditions and relatively low VPD. In wet soil (soil water potential > -50 kPa), upper canopy leaves had the highest gs (0.727 ± 0.154 mol m-2 s-1) and assimilation rate (A; 23.4 ± 3.9 µmol m-2 s-1) compared to the leaves at a medium height of the canopy (gs : 0.159 ± 0.060 mol m2 s-1; A: 15.9 ± 3.8 µmol m-2 s-1). Under increasing VPD (from 1.8 to 2.6 kPa), gs , A and transpiration were initially impacted by leaf position rather than leaf age. However, under high VPD (2.6 kPa), age effect outweighed position effect. The soil-leaf hydraulic conductance was similar in all leaves. Foliage ABA levels increased with rising VPD in mature leaves at medium height (217.56 ± 85 ng g-1 FW) compared to upper canopy leaves (85.36 ± 34 ng g-1 FW). Under soil drought (< -50 kPa), stomata closed in all leaves resulting in no differences in gs across the canopy. We conclude that constant hydraulic supply and ABA dynamics facilitate preferential stomatal behavior and carbon-water trade-offs across the canopy. These findings are fundamental in understanding variations within the canopy, which helps in engineering future crops, especially in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohanned Abdalla
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Khartoum North, Sudan
- Chair of Soil-Root Interactions, TUM School of Life Science, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Andreas H. Schweiger
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Bernd J. Berauer
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Scott A. M. McAdam
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Chair of Soil-Root Interactions, TUM School of Life Science, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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18
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Koehler T, Schaum C, Tung SY, Steiner F, Tyborski N, Wild AJ, Akale A, Pausch J, Lueders T, Wolfrum S, Mueller CW, Vidal A, Vahl WK, Groth J, Eder B, Ahmed MA, Carminati A. Above and belowground traits impacting transpiration decline during soil drying in 48 maize (Zea mays) genotypes. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 131:373-386. [PMID: 36479887 PMCID: PMC9992933 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Stomatal regulation allows plants to promptly respond to water stress. However, our understanding of the impact of above and belowground hydraulic traits on stomatal regulation remains incomplete. The objective of this study was to investigate how key plant hydraulic traits impact transpiration of maize during soil drying. We hypothesize that the stomatal response to soil drying is related to a loss in soil hydraulic conductivity at the root-soil interface, which in turn depends on plant hydraulic traits. METHODS We investigate the response of 48 contrasting maize (Zea mays) genotypes to soil drying, utilizing a novel phenotyping facility. In this context, we measure the relationship between leaf water potential, soil water potential, soil water content and transpiration, as well as root, rhizosphere and aboveground plant traits. KEY RESULTS Genotypes differed in their responsiveness to soil drying. The critical soil water potential at which plants started decreasing transpiration was related to a combination of above and belowground traits: genotypes with a higher maximum transpiration and plant hydraulic conductance as well as a smaller root and rhizosphere system closed stomata at less negative soil water potentials. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the importance of belowground hydraulics for stomatal regulation and hence drought responsiveness during soil drying. Furthermore, this finding supports the hypothesis that stomata start to close when soil hydraulic conductivity drops at the root-soil interface.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolin Schaum
- Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Shu-Yin Tung
- Institute for Agroecology and Organic Farming, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising, Germany
| | | | - Nicolas Tyborski
- Ecological Microbiology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Andreas J Wild
- Agroecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Asegidew Akale
- Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Johanna Pausch
- Agroecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Tillmann Lueders
- Ecological Microbiology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wolfrum
- Institute for Agroecology and Organic Farming, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising, Germany
| | - Carsten W Mueller
- Soil Science, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alix Vidal
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter K Vahl
- Institute for Crop Science and Plant Breeding, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising, Germany
| | - Jennifer Groth
- Institute for Crop Science and Plant Breeding, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising, Germany
| | - Barbara Eder
- Institute for Crop Science and Plant Breeding, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Freising, Germany
| | - Mutez A Ahmed
- Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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19
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Shelden MC, Munns R. Crop root system plasticity for improved yields in saline soils. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1120583. [PMID: 36909408 PMCID: PMC9999379 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1120583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Crop yields must increase to meet the demands of a growing world population. Soil salinization is increasing due to the impacts of climate change, reducing the area of arable land for crop production. Plant root systems are plastic, and their architecture can be modulated to (1) acquire nutrients and water for growth, and (2) respond to hostile soil environments. Saline soils inhibit primary root growth and alter root system architecture (RSA) of crop plants. In this review, we explore how crop root systems respond and adapt to salinity, focusing predominately on the staple cereal crops wheat, maize, rice, and barley, that all play a major role in global food security. Cereal crops are classified as glycophytes (salt-sensitive) however salt-tolerance can differ both between species and within a species. In the past, due to the inherent difficulties associated with visualising and measuring root traits, crop breeding strategies have tended to focus on optimising shoot traits. High-resolution phenotyping techniques now make it possible to visualise and measure root traits in soil systems. A steep, deep and cheap root ideotype has been proposed for water and nitrogen capture. Changes in RSA can be an adaptive strategy to avoid saline soils whilst optimising nutrient and water acquisition. In this review we propose a new model for designing crops with a salt-tolerant root ideotype. The proposed root ideotype would exhibit root plasticity to adapt to saline soils, root anatomical changes to conserve energy and restrict sodium (Na+) uptake, and transport mechanisms to reduce the amount of Na+ transported to leaves. In the future, combining high-resolution root phenotyping with advances in crop genetics will allow us to uncover root traits in complex crop species such as wheat, that can be incorporated into crop breeding programs for yield stability in saline soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C. Shelden
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, Australia
| | - Rana Munns
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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20
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Hanlon MT, Vejchasarn P, Fonta JE, Schneider HM, McCouch SR, Brown KM. Genome wide association analysis of root hair traits in rice reveals novel genomic regions controlling epidermal cell differentiation. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:6. [PMID: 36597029 PMCID: PMC9811729 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-04026-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome wide association (GWA) studies demonstrate linkages between genetic variants and traits of interest. Here, we tested associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in rice (Oryza sativa) and two root hair traits, root hair length (RHL) and root hair density (RHD). Root hairs are outgrowths of single cells on the root epidermis that aid in nutrient and water acquisition and have also served as a model system to study cell differentiation and tip growth. Using lines from the Rice Diversity Panel-1, we explored the diversity of root hair length and density across four subpopulations of rice (aus, indica, temperate japonica, and tropical japonica). GWA analysis was completed using the high-density rice array (HDRA) and the rice reference panel (RICE-RP) SNP sets. RESULTS We identified 18 genomic regions related to root hair traits, 14 of which related to RHD and four to RHL. No genomic regions were significantly associated with both traits. Two regions overlapped with previously identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with root hair density in rice. We identified candidate genes in these regions and present those with previously published expression data relevant to root hair development. We re-phenotyped a subset of lines with extreme RHD phenotypes and found that the variation in RHD was due to differences in cell differentiation, not cell size, indicating genes in an associated genomic region may influence root hair cell fate. The candidate genes that we identified showed little overlap with previously characterized genes in rice and Arabidopsis. CONCLUSIONS Root hair length and density are quantitative traits with complex and independent genetic control in rice. The genomic regions described here could be used as the basis for QTL development and further analysis of the genetic control of root hair length and density. We present a list of candidate genes involved in root hair formation and growth in rice, many of which have not been previously identified as having a relation to root hair growth. Since little is known about root hair growth in grasses, these provide a guide for further research and crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith T Hanlon
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 102 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Biology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Phanchita Vejchasarn
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 102 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Rice Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani Rice Research Center, Ubon Ratchathani, 34000, Thailand
| | - Jenna E Fonta
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 102 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Biology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Hannah M Schneider
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 102 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Susan R McCouch
- Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics, School of Integrated Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-1901, USA
- Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-1901, USA
| | - Kathleen M Brown
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 102 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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21
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Bochicchio R, Labella R, Rossi R, Perniola M, Amato M. Effects of Soil Water Shortage on Seedling Shoot and Root Growth of Saragolle Lucana Tetraploid Wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.) Landrace. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:3492. [PMID: 36559604 PMCID: PMC9786060 DOI: 10.3390/plants11243492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ancient wheats may be a source of traits that are useful for the tolerance of climate change foreseen conditions of raising temperatures and low water availability. Previous research has shown a fine root system and a high mass of rhizosheath per unit root mass in the italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf) landrace Saragolle Lucana, and this may be relevant for successfully facing adverse conditions during seedling establishment. We investigated the effect of soil water shortage in Saragolle seedlings on root architecture, rhizosheath formation and biomass allocation. Pot experiments were conducted by comparing two levels of soil available water content (AWC): WW (100% of AWC) and DS (50% of AWC). Phenology was delayed by eight days in DS and above and belowground traits were measured at Zadoks 1.3 for each treatment. Biometric data collected at the same phenological stage show that DS plants did not reach the levels of biomass, surface area and space occupation of WW even after attaining the same developmental stage. Namely, plant dimensions were lower at low soil water availability, with the exception of rhizosheath production: DS yielded a 50% increase in rhizosheath mass and 32% increase in rhizosheath mass per unit root mass. The proportion of plant mass reduction in DS was 29.7% for aboveground parts and 34.7% for roots, while reductions in leaf and root surface areas exceeded 43%. The root/shoot mass and area ratios were not significantly different between treatments, and a higher impact on aboveground than on belowground traits at reduced available water was shown only by a lower ratio of shoot height to root depth in DS than in WW. Increases in rhizosheath in absolute and relative terms, which were observed in our experiment in spite of smaller root systems in the ancient durum wheat variety Saragolle lucana at DS, may provide an interesting trait for plant performance in conditions of low soil water availability both for water-related issue and for other effects on plant nutrition and relations with the rhizosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Bochicchio
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Rosanna Labella
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Roberta Rossi
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), 85051 Bella (Potenza), Italy
| | - Michele Perniola
- Dipartimento delle Culture europee e del Mediterraneo, Università della Basilicata, 75100 Matera, Italy
| | - Mariana Amato
- School of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
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22
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Kou X, Han W, Kang J. Responses of root system architecture to water stress at multiple levels: A meta-analysis of trials under controlled conditions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1085409. [PMID: 36570905 PMCID: PMC9780461 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1085409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Plants are exposed to increasingly severe drought events and roots play vital roles in maintaining plant survival, growth, and reproduction. A large body of literature has investigated the adaptive responses of root traits in various plants to water stress and these studies have been reviewed in certain groups of plant species at a certain scale. Nevertheless, these responses have not been synthesized at multiple levels. This paper screened over 2000 literatures for studies of typical root traits including root growth angle, root depth, root length, root diameter, root dry weight, root-to-shoot ratio, root hair length and density and integrates their drought responses at genetic and morphological scales. The genes, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and hormones that are involved in the regulation of drought response of the root traits were summarized. We then statistically analyzed the drought responses of root traits and discussed the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, we highlighted the drought response of 1-D and 2-D root length density (RLD) distribution in the soil profile. This paper will provide a framework for an integrated understanding of root adaptive responses to water deficit at multiple scales and such insights may provide a basis for selection and breeding of drought tolerant crop lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Kou
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weihua Han
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Kang
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
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23
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Ganther M, Lippold E, Bienert MD, Bouffaud ML, Bauer M, Baumann L, Bienert GP, Vetterlein D, Heintz-Buschart A, Tarkka MT. Plant Age and Soil Texture Rather Than the Presence of Root Hairs Cause Differences in Maize Resource Allocation and Root Gene Expression in the Field. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2883. [PMID: 36365336 PMCID: PMC9657941 DOI: 10.3390/plants11212883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the biological roles of root hairs is key to projecting their contributions to plant growth and to assess their relevance for plant breeding. The objective of this study was to assess the importance of root hairs for maize nutrition, carbon allocation and root gene expression in a field experiment. Applying wild type and root hairless rth3 maize grown on loam and sand, we examined the period of growth including 4-leaf, 9-leaf and tassel emergence stages, accompanied with a low precipitation rate. rth3 maize had lower shoot growth and lower total amounts of mineral nutrients than wild type, but the concentrations of mineral elements, root gene expression, or carbon allocation were largely unchanged. For these parameters, growth stage accounted for the main differences, followed by substrate. Substrate-related changes were pronounced during tassel emergence, where the concentrations of several elements in leaves as well as cell wall formation-related root gene expression and C allocation decreased. In conclusion, the presence of root hairs stimulated maize shoot growth and total nutrient uptake, but other parameters were more impacted by growth stage and soil texture. Further research should relate root hair functioning to the observed losses in maize productivity and growth efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Ganther
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Eva Lippold
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Manuela Désirée Bienert
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Alte Akademie 12, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Marie-Lara Bouffaud
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Mario Bauer
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Louis Baumann
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Gerd Patrick Bienert
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Alte Akademie 12, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Doris Vetterlein
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
- Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Anna Heintz-Buschart
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mika Tapio Tarkka
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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24
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Ranaivo HN, Lam DT, Ueda Y, Pariasca Tanaka J, Takanashi H, Ramanankaja L, Razafimbelo T, Wissuwa M. QTL mapping for early root and shoot vigor of upland rice ( Oryza sativa L.) under P deficient field conditions in Japan and Madagascar. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1017419. [PMID: 36352889 PMCID: PMC9637880 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1017419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Upland rice production is limited by the low phosphorus (P) availability of many highly weathered tropical soils and P deficiency is likely to become increasingly limiting in future drier climates because P mobility decreases sharply with soil moisture. Good seedling root development will be crucial to cope with the combined effects of low P and water availability. Upland rice genebank accession DJ123 was used as a donor for P efficiency and root vigor traits in a cross with inefficient local variety Nerica4 and a set of backcross lines were used to characterize the seedling stage response of upland rice to low P availability and to identify associated QTL in field trials in Japan and Madagascar. Ten QTL were detected for crown root number, root, shoot and total dry weight per plant in a highly P deficient field in Japan using the BC1F3 generation. Of these, qPef9 on chromosome 9 affected multiple traits, increasing root number, root weight and total biomass, whereas a neighboring QTL on chromosome 9 (qPef9-2) increased shoot biomass. Field trials with derived BC1F5 lines in a low-P field in Madagascar confirmed a highly influential region on chromosome 9. However, qPef9-2 appeared more influential than qPef9, as the shoot and root biomass contrast between lines carrying DJ123 or Nerica4 alleles at qPef9-2 was +23.8% and +13.5% compared to +19.2% and +14.4% at qPef9. This advantage increased further during the growing season, leading to 46% higher shoot biomass at the late vegetative stage. Results suggest an introgression between 8.0 and 12.9 Mb on chromosome 9 from P efficient donor DJ123 can improve plant performance under P-limited conditions. The QTL identified here have practical relevance because they were confirmed in the target genetic background of the local variety Nerica4 and can therefore be applied directly to improve its performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harisoa Nicole Ranaivo
- Rice Research Department, National Center for Applied Research on Rural Development (FOFIFA), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Dinh Thi Lam
- Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
- Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam (IAS), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Yoshiaki Ueda
- Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Juan Pariasca Tanaka
- Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hideki Takanashi
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Tantely Razafimbelo
- Laboratory of Radioisotopes, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Matthias Wissuwa
- Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan
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25
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Kohli PS, Pazhamala LT, Mani B, Thakur JK, Giri J. Root hair-specific transcriptome reveals response to low phosphorus in Cicer arietinum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:983969. [PMID: 36267945 PMCID: PMC9577374 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.983969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Root hairs (RH) are a single-cell extension of root epidermal cells. In low phosphorus (LP) availability, RH length and density increase thus expanding the total root surface area for phosphate (Pi) acquisition. However, details on genes involved in RH development and response to LP are missing in an agronomically important leguminous crop, chickpea. To elucidate this response in chickpea, we performed tissue-specific RNA-sequencing and analyzed the transcriptome modulation for RH and root without RH (Root-RH) under LP. Root hair initiation and cellular differentiation genes like RSL TFs and ROPGEFs are upregulated in Root-RH, explaining denser, and ectopic RH in LP. In RH, genes involved in tip growth processes and phytohormonal biosynthesis like cell wall synthesis and loosening (cellulose synthase A catalytic subunit, CaEXPA2, CaGRP2, and CaXTH2), cytoskeleton/vesicle transport, and ethylene biosynthesis are upregulated. Besides RH development, genes involved in LP responses like lipid and/or pectin P remobilization and acid phosphatases are induced in these tissues summarizing a complete molecular response to LP. Further, RH displayed preferential enrichment of processes involved in symbiotic interactions, which provide an additional benefit during LP. In conclusion, RH shows a multi-faceted response that starts with molecular changes for epidermal cell differentiation and RH initiation in Root-RH and later induction of tip growth and various LP responses in elongated RH.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Balaji Mani
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
| | - Jitendra Kumar Thakur
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
- International Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
| | - Jitender Giri
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
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26
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Aslam MM, Karanja JK, Dodd IC, Waseem M, Weifeng X. Rhizosheath: An adaptive root trait to improve plant tolerance to phosphorus and water deficits? PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:2861-2874. [PMID: 35822342 PMCID: PMC9544408 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Drought and nutrient limitations adversely affect crop yields, with below-ground traits enhancing crop production in these resource-poor environments. This review explores the interacting biological, chemical and physical factors that determine rhizosheath (soil adhering to the root system) development, and its influence on plant water uptake and phosphorus acquisition in dry soils. Identification of quantitative trait loci for rhizosheath development indicate it is genetically determined, but the microbial community also directly (polysaccharide exudation) and indirectly (altered root hair development) affect its extent. Plants with longer and denser root hairs had greater rhizosheath development and increased P uptake efficiency. Moreover, enhanced rhizosheath formation maintains contact at the root-soil interface thereby assisting water uptake from drying soil, consequently improving plant survival in droughted environments. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to determine if rhizosheath development is a cause or consequence of improved plant adaptation to dry and nutrient-depleted soils. Does rhizosheath development directly enhance plant water and phosphorus use, or do other tolerance mechanisms allow plants to invest more resources in rhizosheath development? Much more work is required on the interacting genetic, physical, biochemical and microbial mechanisms that determine rhizosheath development, to demonstrate that selection for rhizosheath development is a viable crop improvement strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehtab Muhammad Aslam
- Center for Plant Water‐Use and Nutrition Regulation, College of Resource and EnvironmentFujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouFujianChina
- College of AgricultureYangzhou UniversityYangzhouJiangsuChina
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life SciencesThe Chinese University of Hong KongShatinHong Kong
| | - Joseph K. Karanja
- Center for Plant Water‐Use and Nutrition Regulation, College of Resource and EnvironmentFujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouFujianChina
| | - Ian C. Dodd
- The Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Xu Weifeng
- Center for Plant Water‐Use and Nutrition Regulation, College of Resource and EnvironmentFujian Agriculture and Forestry UniversityFuzhouFujianChina
- College of AgricultureYangzhou UniversityYangzhouJiangsuChina
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27
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Birt HWG, Tharp CL, Custer GF, Dini-Andreote F. Root phenotypes as modulators of microbial microhabitats. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1003868. [PMID: 36212354 PMCID: PMC9539067 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1003868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plant roots are colonized by a multitude of microbial taxa that dynamically influence plant health. Plant-microbe interactions at the root-soil interface occur at the micro-scale and are affected by variation in root phenotypes. Different root phenotypes can have distinct impacts on physical and chemical gradients at the root-soil interface, leading to heterogeneous microhabitats for microbial colonization. Microbes that influence plant physiology will establish across these heterogeneous microhabitats, and, therefore, exploiting variation in root phenotypes can allow for targeted manipulation of plant-associated microbes. In this mini-review, we discuss how changes in root anatomy and architecture can influence resource availability and the spatial configuration of microbial microhabitats. We then propose research priorities that integrate root phenotypes and microbial microhabitats for advancing the manipulation of root-associated microbiomes. We foresee the yet-unexplored potential to harness diverse root phenotypes as a new level of precision in microbiome management in plant-root systems.
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28
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Maqbool S, Saeed F, Raza A, Rasheed A, He Z. Association of Root Hair Length and Density with Yield-Related Traits and Expression Patterns of TaRSL4 Underpinning Root Hair Length in Spring Wheat. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2235. [PMID: 36079617 PMCID: PMC9460385 DOI: 10.3390/plants11172235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Root hairs play an important role in absorbing water and nutrients in crop plants. Here we optimized high-throughput root hair length (RHL) and root hair density (RHD) phenotyping in wheat using a portable Dinolite™ microscope. A collection of 24 century wide spring wheat cultivars released between 1911 and 2016 were phenotyped for RHL and RHD. The results revealed significant variations for both traits with five and six-fold variation for RHL and RHD, respectively. RHL ranged from 1.01 mm to 1.77 mm with an average of 1.39 mm, and RHD ranged from 17.08 mm-2 to 20.8 mm-2 with an average of 19.6 mm-2. Agronomic and physiological traits collected from five different environments and their best linear unbiased predictions (BLUPs) were correlated with RHL and RHD, and results revealed that relative-water contents (RWC), biomass and grain per spike (GpS) were positively correlated with RHL in both water-limited and well-watered conditions. While RHD was negatively correlated with grain yield (GY) in four environments and their BLUPs. Both RHL and RHD had positive correlation indicating the possibility of simultaneous selection of both phenotypes during wheat breeding. The expression pattern of TaRSL4 gene involved in regulation of root hair length was determined in all 24 wheat cultivars based on RNA-seq data, which indicated the differentially higher expression of the A- and D- homeologues of the gene in roots, while B-homeologue was consistently expressed in both leaf and roots. The results were validated by qRT-PCR and the expression of TaRSL4 was consistently high in rainfed cultivars such as Chakwal-50, Rawal-87, and Margallah-99. Overall, the new phenotyping method for RHL and RHD along with correlations with morphological and physiological traits in spring wheat cultivars improved our understanding for selection of these phenotypes in wheat breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saman Maqbool
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Fatima Saeed
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Ali Raza
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Awais Rasheed
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) & CIMMYT-China Office, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhonghu He
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) & CIMMYT-China Office, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, China
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29
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Hallett PD, Marin M, Bending GD, George TS, Collins CD, Otten W. Building soil sustainability from root-soil interface traits. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 27:688-698. [PMID: 35168900 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Great potential exists to harness plant traits at the root-soil interface, mainly rhizodeposition and root hairs, to 'build' soils with better structure that can trap more carbon and resources, resist climate stresses, and promote a healthy microbiome. These traits appear to have been preserved in modern crop varieties, but scope exists to improve them further because they vary considerably between genotypes and respond to environmental conditions. From emerging evidence, rhizodeposition can act as a disperser, aggregator, and/or hydrogel in soil, and root hairs expand rhizosheath size. Future research should explore impacts of selecting these traits on plants and soils concurrently, expanding from model plants to commercial genotypes, and observing whether impacts currently limited to glasshouse studies occur in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Hallett
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK.
| | - Maria Marin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
| | - Gary D Bending
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Timothy S George
- Ecological Sciences Group, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Chris D Collins
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DW, UK
| | - Wilfred Otten
- Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, College Road, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
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30
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Xu B, Zhu Y, Cao C, Chen H, Jin Q, Li G, Ma J, Yang SL, Zhao J, Zhu J, Ding Y, Fang X, Jin Y, Kwok CK, Ren A, Wan Y, Wang Z, Xue Y, Zhang H, Zhang QC, Zhou Y. Recent advances in RNA structurome. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:1285-1324. [PMID: 35717434 PMCID: PMC9206424 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2116-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RNA structures are essential to support RNA functions and regulation in various biological processes. Recently, a range of novel technologies have been developed to decode genome-wide RNA structures and novel modes of functionality across a wide range of species. In this review, we summarize key strategies for probing the RNA structurome and discuss the pros and cons of representative technologies. In particular, these new technologies have been applied to dissect the structural landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome. We also summarize the functionalities of RNA structures discovered in different regulatory layers-including RNA processing, transport, localization, and mRNA translation-across viruses, bacteria, animals, and plants. We review many versatile RNA structural elements in the context of different physiological and pathological processes (e.g., cell differentiation, stress response, and viral replication). Finally, we discuss future prospects for RNA structural studies to map the RNA structurome at higher resolution and at the single-molecule and single-cell level, and to decipher novel modes of RNA structures and functions for innovative applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingbing Xu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yanda Zhu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Changchang Cao
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Qiongli Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Guangnan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Junfeng Ma
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Siwy Ling Yang
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jieyu Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jianghui Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology and Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yiliang Ding
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.
| | - Xianyang Fang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Yongfeng Jin
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Chun Kit Kwok
- Department of Chemistry, and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China.
| | - Aiming Ren
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Yue Wan
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Zhiye Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Yuanchao Xue
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Huakun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology and Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Yu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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31
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Duddek P, Carminati A, Koebernick N, Ohmann L, Lovric G, Delzon S, Rodriguez‐Dominguez CM, King A, Ahmed MA. The impact of drought-induced root and root hair shrinkage on root-soil contact. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:1232-1236. [PMID: 35325215 PMCID: PMC9237671 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Although root hairs significantly increased root–soil contact, in maize, their shrinkage during soil drying is initiated at relatively high soil matric potentials (between −10 and −310 kPa).
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Duddek
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätstrasse 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicolai Koebernick
- Soil Science and Soil Protection, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Luise Ohmann
- Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Goran Lovric
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- BIOGECO, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Allée Geoffroy St-Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, France
| | | | - Andrew King
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L’Orme des Merisiers, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
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32
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Marin M, Hallett PD, Feeney DS, Brown LK, Naveed M, Koebernick N, Ruiz S, Bengough AG, Roose T, George TS. Impact of root hairs on microscale soil physical properties in the field. PLANT AND SOIL 2022; 476:491-509. [PMID: 35992246 PMCID: PMC9381483 DOI: 10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Recent laboratory studies revealed that root hairs may alter soil physical behaviour, influencing soil porosity and water retention on the small scale. However, the results are not consistent, and it is not known if structural changes at the small-scale have impacts at larger scales. Therefore, we evaluated the potential effects of root hairs on soil hydro-mechanical properties in the field using rhizosphere-scale physical measurements. METHODS Changes in soil water retention properties as well as mechanical and hydraulic characteristics were monitored in both silt loam and sandy loam soils. Measurements were taken from plant establishment to harvesting in field trials, comparing three barley genotypes representing distinct phenotypic categories in relation to root hair length. Soil hardness and elasticity were measured using a 3-mm-diameter spherical indenter, while water sorptivity and repellency were measured using a miniaturized infiltrometer with a 0.4-mm tip radius. RESULTS Over the growing season, plants induced changes in the soil water retention properties, with the plant available water increasing by 21%. Both soil hardness (P = 0.031) and elasticity (P = 0.048) decreased significantly in the presence of root hairs in silt loam soil, by 50% and 36%, respectively. Root hairs also led to significantly smaller water repellency (P = 0.007) in sandy loam soil vegetated with the hairy genotype (-49%) compared to the hairless mutant. CONCLUSIONS Breeding of cash crops for improved soil conditions could be achieved by selecting root phenotypes that ameliorate soil physical properties and therefore contribute to increased soil health. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11104-022-05530-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Marin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU UK
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA UK
| | - P. D. Hallett
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU UK
| | - D. S. Feeney
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA UK
- School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN UK
| | - L. K. Brown
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA UK
| | - M. Naveed
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU UK
- Present Address: School of Computing and Engineering, University of West London, London, W5 5RF UK
| | - N. Koebernick
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK
- Present Address: Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - S. Ruiz
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK
| | - A. G. Bengough
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA UK
- School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN UK
| | - T. Roose
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK
| | - T. S. George
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA UK
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Vincent C, Ebert R, Hermans C. Root hair quantification is an accessible approach to phenotyping important functional traits. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3304-3307. [PMID: 35290442 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Vincent
- Citrus Research and Education Center, Horticultural Sciences Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL, USA
| | - Rebecca Ebert
- Citrus Research and Education Center, Horticultural Sciences Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL, USA
| | - Christian Hermans
- Crop Production and Biostimulation Laboratory, Université libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Cai G, Ahmed MA. The role of root hairs in water uptake: recent advances and future perspectives. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3330-3338. [PMID: 35323893 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sufficient water is essential for plant growth and production. Root hairs connect roots to the soil, extend the effective root radius, and greatly enlarge the absorbing surface area. Although the efficacy of root hairs in nutrient uptake, especially phosphorus, has been well recognized, their role in water uptake remains contentious. Here we review recent advances in this field, discuss the factors affecting the role of root hairs in water uptake, and propose future directions. We argue that root hair length and shrinkage, in response to soil drying, explain the apparently contradictory evidence currently available. Our analysis revealed that shorter and vulnerable root hairs (i.e. rice and maize) made little, if any, contribution to root water uptake. In contrast, relatively longer root hairs (i.e. barley) had a clear influence on root water uptake, transpiration, and hence plant response to soil drying. We conclude that the role of root hairs in water uptake is species (and probably soil) specific. We propose that a holistic understanding of the efficacy of root hairs in water uptake will require detailed studies of root hair length, turnover, and shrinkage in different species and contrasting soil textures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaochao Cai
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, D-95444, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, D-95444, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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35
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Ying S, Scheible W. A novel calmodulin-interacting Domain of Unknown Function 506 protein represses root hair elongation in Arabidopsis. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1796-1812. [PMID: 35312071 PMCID: PMC9314033 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Domain of Unknown Function 506 proteins are ubiquitous in plants. The phosphorus (P) stress-inducible REPRESSOR OF EXCESSIVE ROOT HAIR GROWTH1 (AtRXR1) gene encodes the first characterized DUF506. AtRXR1 inhibits root hair elongation by interacting with RabD2c GTPase. However, functions of other P-responsive DUF506 genes are still missing. Here, we selected two additional P-inducible DUF506 genes for further investigation. The expression of both genes was induced by auxin. Under P-stress, At3g07350 gene expressed ubiquitously in seedlings, whereas At1g62420 (AtRXR3) expression was strongest in roots. AtRXR3 overexpressors and knockouts had shorter and longer root hairs, respectively. A functional AtRXR3-green fluorescent protein fusion localized to root epidermal cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and quantitative reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed that AtRXR3 was transcriptionally activated by RSL4. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation and calmodulin (CaM)-binding assays showed that AtRXR3 interacted with CaM in the presence of Ca2+ . Moreover, cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+ ]cyt ) oscillations in root hairs of rxr3 mutants exhibited elevated frequencies and dampened amplitudes compared to those of wild type. Thus, AtRXR3 is another DUF506 protein that attenuates P-limitation-induced root hair growth through mechanisms that involve RSL4 and interaction with CaM to modulate tip-focused [Ca2+ ]cyt oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Ying
- Noble Research Institute LLCArdmoreOklahomaUSA
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36
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Hendriks PW, Ryan PR, Hands P, Rolland V, Gurusinghe S, Weston LA, Rebetzke GJ, Delhaize E. Selection for early shoot vigour in wheat increases root hair length but reduces epidermal cell size of roots and leaves. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2499-2510. [PMID: 35195714 PMCID: PMC9015806 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Six cycles of recurrent selection for early shoot vigour in wheat resulted in significant increases in leaf width and shoot biomass. Here, in replicated controlled-environment studies, the effect of early shoot vigour on root biomass, rhizosheath size, root hair length, and cell size in the roots and leaves was examined across different cycles of selection. Increased shoot vigour was associated with greater root biomass, larger rhizosheath size, and longer root hairs. Our findings demonstrate that rhizosheath size was a reliable surrogate for root hair length in this germplasm. Examination of the root epidermis revealed that the 'cell body' of the trichoblasts (hair-forming cells) and the atrichoblasts (non-hair-forming cells) decreased in size as shoot vigour increased. Therefore, in higher vigour germplasm, longer root hairs emerged from smaller trichoblasts so that total trichoblast volume (root hair plus cell body) was generally similar regardless of shoot vigour. Similarly, the sizes of the four main cell types on the leaf epidermis became progressively smaller as shoot vigour increased, which also increased stomatal density. The relationship between shoot vigour and root traits is considered, and the potential contribution of below-ground root traits to performance and competitiveness of high vigour germplasm is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter-Willem Hendriks
- CSIRO, Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Charles Sturt University, School of Agriculture, Environment and Veterinary Sciences, Wagga-Wagga, 14 NSW, 2650, Australia
- Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Peter R Ryan
- CSIRO, Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Philip Hands
- CSIRO, Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Vivien Rolland
- CSIRO, Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Saliya Gurusinghe
- Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia
| | - Leslie A Weston
- Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia
| | | | - Emmanuel Delhaize
- Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, Australian National University Node, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
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37
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Cai G, Ahmed MA, Abdalla M, Carminati A. Root hydraulic phenotypes impacting water uptake in drying soils. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:650-663. [PMID: 35037263 PMCID: PMC9303794 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Soil drying is a limiting factor for crop production worldwide. Yet, it is not clear how soil drying impacts water uptake across different soils, species, and root phenotypes. Here we ask (1) what root phenotypes improve the water use from drying soils? and (2) what root hydraulic properties impact water flow across the soil-plant continuum? The main objective is to propose a hydraulic framework to investigate the interplay between soil and root hydraulic properties on water uptake. We collected highly resolved data on transpiration, leaf and soil water potential across 11 crops and 10 contrasting soil textures. In drying soils, the drop in water potential at the soil-root interface resulted in a rapid decrease in soil hydraulic conductance, especially at higher transpiration rates. The analysis reveals that water uptake was limited by soil within a wide range of soil water potential (-6 to -1000 kPa), depending on both soil textures and root hydraulic phenotypes. We propose that a root phenotype with low root hydraulic conductance, long roots and/or long and dense root hairs postpones soil limitation in drying soils. The consequence of these root phenotypes on crop water use is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaochao Cai
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER)University of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | - Mutez A. Ahmed
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER)University of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
- Department of Land, Air and Water ResourcesUniversity of California DavisDavisCaliforniaUnited States
| | - Mohanned Abdalla
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER)University of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Physics of Soils and Terrestrial EcosystemsInstitute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH ZürichZurichSwitzerland
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38
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Kohli PS, Maurya K, Thakur JK, Bhosale R, Giri J. Significance of root hairs in developing stress-resilient plants for sustainable crop production. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:677-694. [PMID: 34854103 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Root hairs represent a beneficial agronomic trait to potentially reduce fertilizer and irrigation inputs. Over the past decades, research in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana has provided insights into root hair development, the underlying genetic framework and the integration of environmental cues within this framework. Recent years have seen a paradigm shift, where studies are now highlighting conservation and diversification of root hair developmental programs in other plant species and the agronomic relevance of root hairs in a wider ecological context. In this review, we specifically discuss the molecular evolution of the RSL (RHD Six-Like) pathway that controls root hair development and growth in land plants. We also discuss how root hairs contribute to plant performance as an active physiological rooting structure by performing resource acquisition, providing anchorage and constructing the rhizosphere with desirable physical, chemical and biological properties. Finally, we outline future research directions that can help achieve the potential of root hairs in developing sustainable agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kanika Maurya
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Jitendra K Thakur
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India
- International Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
| | - Rahul Bhosale
- Future Food Beacon of Excellence and School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jitender Giri
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India
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39
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Abdalla M, Ahmed MA. Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Symbiosis Enhances Water Status and Soil-Plant Hydraulic Conductance Under Drought. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:722954. [PMID: 34721455 PMCID: PMC8551442 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.722954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have identified soil drying as a dominant driver of transpiration reduction at the global scale. Although Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi (AMF) are assumed to play a pivotal role in plant response to soil drying, studies investigating the impact of AMF on plant water status and soil-plant hydraulic conductance are lacking. Thus, the main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of AMF on soil-plant conductance and plant water status of tomato under drought. We hypothesized that AMF limit the drop in matric potential across the rhizosphere, especially in drying soil. The underlying mechanism is that AMF extend the effective root radius and hence reduce the water fluxes at the root-soil interface. The follow-up hypothesis is that AMF enhance soil-plant hydraulic conductance and plant water status during soil drying. To test these hypotheses, we measured the relation between transpiration rate, soil and leaf water potential of tomato with reduced mycorrhiza colonization (RMC) and the corresponding wild type (WT). We inoculated the soil of the WT with Rhizophagus irregularis spores to potentially upsurge symbiosis initiation. During soil drying, leaf water potential of the WT did not drop below -0.8MPa during the first 6days after withholding irrigation, while leaf water potential of RMC dropped below -1MPa already after 4days. Furthermore, AMF enhanced the soil-plant hydraulic conductance of the WT during soil drying. In contrast, soil-plant hydraulic conductance of the RMC declined more abruptly as soil dried. We conclude that AMF maintained the hydraulic continuity between root and soil in drying soils, hereby reducing the drop in matric potential at the root-soil interface and enhancing soil-plant hydraulic conductance of tomato under edaphic stress. Future studies will investigate the role of AMF on soil-plant hydraulic conductance and plant water status among diverse plant species growing in contrasting soil textures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohanned Abdalla
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Khartoum North, Sudan
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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40
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Cai G, Carminati A, Abdalla M, Ahmed MA. Soil textures rather than root hairs dominate water uptake and soil-plant hydraulics under drought. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:858-872. [PMID: 34608949 PMCID: PMC8491061 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Although the role of root hairs (RHs) in nutrient uptake is well documented, their role in water uptake and drought tolerance remains controversial. Maize (Zea mays) wild-type and its hair-defective mutant (Mut; roothairless 3) were grown in two contrasting soil textures (sand and loam). We used a root pressure chamber to measure the relation between transpiration rate (E) and leaf xylem water potential (ψleaf_x) during soil drying. Our hypotheses were: (1) RHs extend root-soil contact and reduce the ψleaf_x decline at high E in dry soils; (2) the impact of RHs is more pronounced in sand; and (3) Muts partly compensate for lacking RHs by producing longer and/or thicker roots. The ψleaf_x(E) relation was linear in wet conditions and became nonlinear as the soils dried. This nonlinearity occurred more abruptly and at less negative matric potentials in sand (ca. -10 kPa) than in loam (ca. -100 kPa). At more negative soil matric potentials, soil hydraulic conductance became smaller than root hydraulic conductance in both soils. Both genotypes exhibited 1.7 times longer roots in loam, but 1.6 times thicker roots in sand. No differences were observed in the ψleaf_x(E) relation and active root length between the two genotypes. In maize, RHs had a minor contribution to soil-plant hydraulics in both soils and their putative role in water uptake was smaller than that reported for barley (Hordeum vulgare). These results suggest that the role of RHs cannot be easily generalized across species and soil textures affect the response of root hydraulics to soil drying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaochao Cai
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
- Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Andrea Carminati
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Mohanned Abdalla
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
| | - Mutez Ali Ahmed
- Chair of Soil Physics, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
- Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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41
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Wissuwa M, Kant J. Does half a millimetre matter? Root hairs for yield stability. A commentary on 'Significance of root hairs for plant performance under contrasting field conditions and water deficit'. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 128:iii-v. [PMID: 33755050 PMCID: PMC8318106 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
This article comments on:
M. Marin, D. S. Feeney, L. K. Brown, M. Naveed, S. Ruiz, N. Koebernick, A. G. Bengough, P. D. Hallett, T. Roose, J. Puértolas, I. C. Dodd and T. S. George, Significance of root hairs for plant performance under contrasting field conditions and water deficit, Annals of Botany, Volume 128, Issue 1, 30 June 2021, Pages 3–18, 10.1093/aob/mcaa181
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Wissuwa
- Tropical Agricultural Research Front, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, 305-8686,Japan
| | - Josefine Kant
- Institute for Bio-& Geosciences, Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich,Germany
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42
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Karanja JK, Aslam MM, Qian Z, Yankey R, Dodd IC, Weifeng X. Abscisic Acid Mediates Drought-Enhanced Rhizosheath Formation in Tomato. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:658787. [PMID: 34421937 PMCID: PMC8378331 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.658787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The rhizosheath, commonly defined as soil adhering to the root surface, may confer drought tolerance in various crop species by enhancing access to water and nutrients under drying stress conditions. Since the role of phytohormones in establishing this trait remains largely unexplored, we investigated the role of ABA in rhizosheath formation of wild-type (WT) and ABA-deficient (notabilis, not) tomatoes. Both genotypes had similar rhizosheath weight, root length, and root ABA concentration in well-watered soil. Drying stress treatment decreased root length similarly in both genotypes, but substantially increased root ABA concentration and rhizosheath weight of WT plants, indicating an important role for ABA in rhizosheath formation. Neither genotype nor drying stress treatment affected root hair length, but drying stress treatment decreased root hair density of not. Under drying stress conditions, root hair length was positively correlated with rhizosheath weight in both genotypes, while root hair density was positively correlated with rhizosheath weight in well-watered not plants. Root transcriptome analysis revealed that drought stress increased the expression of ABA-responsive transcription factors, such as AP2-like ER TF, alongside other drought-regulatory genes associated with ABA (ABA 8'-hydroxylase and protein phosphatase 2C). Thus, root ABA status modulated the expression of specific gene expression pathways. Taken together, drought-induced rhizosheath enhancement was ABA-dependent, but independent of root hair length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph K. Karanja
- Center for Plant Water-Use and Nutrition Regulation and College of Life Sciences, Joint International Research Laboratory of Water and Nutrient in Cops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mehtab Muhammad Aslam
- Center for Plant Water-Use and Nutrition Regulation and College of Life Sciences, Joint International Research Laboratory of Water and Nutrient in Cops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhang Qian
- Center for Plant Water-Use and Nutrition Regulation and College of Life Sciences, Joint International Research Laboratory of Water and Nutrient in Cops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Richard Yankey
- China National Engineering Research Center of Juncao Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ian C. Dodd
- The Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Xu Weifeng
- Center for Plant Water-Use and Nutrition Regulation and College of Life Sciences, Joint International Research Laboratory of Water and Nutrient in Cops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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43
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Root hairs: the villi of plants. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:1133-1146. [PMID: 34013353 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Strikingly, evolution shaped similar tubular structures at the µm to mm scale in roots of sessile plants and in small intestines of mobile mammals to ensure an efficient transfer of essential nutrients from 'dead matter' into biota. These structures, named root hairs (RHs) in plants and villi in mammals, numerously stretch into the environment, and extremely enlarge root and intestine surfaces. They are believed to forage for nutrients, and mediate their uptake. While the conceptional understanding of plant RH function in hydromineral nutrition seems clear, experimental evidence presented in textbooks is restricted to a very limited number of reference-nutrients. Here, we make an element-by-element journey through the periodic table and link individual nutrient availabilities to the development, structure/shape and function of RHs. Based on recent developments in molecular biology and the identification of mutants differing in number, length or other shape-related characteristics of RHs in various plant species, we present comprehensive advances in (i) the physiological role of RHs for the uptake of specific nutrients, (ii) the developmental and morphological responses of RHs to element availability and (iii) RH-localized nutrient transport proteins. Our update identifies crucial roles of RHs for hydromineral nutrition, mostly under nutrient and/or water limiting conditions, and highlights the influence of certain mineral availabilities on early stages of RH development, suggesting that nutritional stimuli, as deficiencies in P, Mn or B, can even dominate over intrinsic developmental programs underlying RH differentiation.
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