Defying gravity: a plant’s quest for moisture

Sinclair, Scott A.; Friml, Jiřı́

doi:10.1038/s41422-019-0254-4

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Long-term drought preconditioning of western larch seedlings promoted an increase in the production of new roots relative to new foliar tissue. Altered partitioning of carbon between root and shoot tissues associated with water limitation may result from responses of plant hormones (auxin, abscisic acid, gibberellin, and cytokinin) to drought ( McAdam et al, 2016 ; Omena-Garcia et al, 2019 ; Sinclair and Friml, 2019 ; Ramachandran et al, 2020 ). Morphological shifts to more root vs. foliar tissue are expected to correspond to reduced seedling transplant shock and greater seedling outplanting survival due to greater root abundance facilitating enhanced uptake of soil water coupled with decreased foliar tissue and associated reductions in leaf-level evaporative demand ( Close et al, 2005 ; Grossnickle, 2005 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on Drought Preconditioning Treatments With a Case Study Using Western Larch

Moler

Nelson

2021

Front. Plant Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As the demand for drought hardy tree seedlings rises alongside global temperatures, there is a need to optimize nursery drought preconditioning methods to improve field performance of planted seedlings. This perspective article advocates for a more holistic approach to drought preconditioning research that considers the moderating role of plant developmental stage on the effects of drought preconditioning. We identify discrepancies in past studies of root growth potential (RGP) responses to drought preconditioning and highlight studies that suggest such discrepancies may result from inconsistencies among studies in the timing of drought preconditioning implementation. We then illustrate our perspective by presenting original research from an aeroponic RGP trial of 1st-year western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) seedlings exposed to three soil moisture contents for 6months. We evaluated whether drought preconditioning could be used to increase the ratio of root: foliar tissue mass or enhance seedling physiological vigor during a subsequent growth period. Drought preconditioning was found to increase the ratio of root: foliar tissue mass and enhance seedling physiological vigor. Specifically, soil moisture content related negatively with new root biomass, positively with new foliar biomass, and negatively with the length and number of new roots (p<0.001). Meanwhile, the mass of lateral root production following drought preconditioning, but prior to aeroponic growth, correlated weakly to the mass, count, and length of new roots produced during aeroponic growth. We propose that evaluating the importance of the timing of drought preconditioning treatments constitutes an important research frontier in plant science.

show abstract