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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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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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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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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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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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