Root Plasticity in the Pursuit of Water

Fromm, Hillel

doi:10.3390/plants8070236

Cited by 50 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 135 publications

(219 reference statements)

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“…Roots, as one of the primary organs, play an important role in vascular plants. They are a hidden part of a plant, responsible for growth, development and productivity, anchorage, and supplying stem and leaves with water and nutrients [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Roots constitute a source of organic matter, they influence the soil structure, aeration, and its biological activity [9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation Among Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Response to the Drought Stress. II—Root System Structure

Grzesiak

Hordyńska

Maksymowicz

et al. 2019

Plants

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(1) Background: The study analyzed wheat morphological traits to assess the role of roots structure in the tolerance of drought and to recognize the mechanisms of root structure adjustment to dry soil environment. (2) Methods: Root-box and root-basket methods were applied to maintain an intact root system for analysis. (3) Results: Phenotypic differences among six genotypes with variable drought susceptibility index were found. Under drought, the resistant genotypes lowered their shoot-to-root ratio. Dry matter, number, length, and diameter of nodal and lateral roots were higher in drought-tolerant genotypes than in sensitive ones. The differences in the surface area of the roots were greater in the upper parts of the root system (in the soil layer between 0 and 15 cm) and resulted from the growth of roots of the tolerant plant at an angle of 0–30° and 30–60°. (4) Conclusions: Regulation of root bending in a more downward direction can be important but is not a priority in avoiding drought effects by tolerant plants. If this trait is reduced and accompanied by restricted root development in the upper part of the soil, it becomes a critical factor promoting plant sensitivity to water-limiting conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Roots constitute a source of organic matter, they influence the soil structure, aeration, and its biological activity [9][10][11]. Our knowledge on root interaction with soil environment is relatively poor; however, recent advances in imaging and sensor technologies are making root phenomic studies more possible and efficient [2,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation Among Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Response to the Drought Stress. II—Root System Structure

Grzesiak

Hordyńska

Maksymowicz

et al. 2019

Plants

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“…In contrast to hydropatterning, ABA‐regulated xerobranching is the phenomenon where lateral roots are inhibited due to dry soil. Heterogeneous water availability in the topsoil induces root curvature toward moisture, termed hydrotropism (Fromm, 2019). Traits like decreased cortical cell file number, cortical senescence, and root cortical aerenchyma formation are found to provide drought resistance by increasing root depth with a low investment of carbon.…”

Section: Root Plastic Responses To Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Can smart nutrient applications optimize the plant's hidden half to improve drought resistance?

Bardhan

York

Hasanuzzaman

et al. 2021

Physiologia Plantarum

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Global agriculture is challenged with achieving sustainable food security while the climate changes and the threat of drought increases. Much of the research attention has focused on above-ground plant responses with an aim to improve drought resistance. The hidden half, that is, the root system belowground, is receiving increasing attention as the interface of the plant with the soil. Because roots are a sensing organ for nutrients and moisture, we speculate that crop root system traits can be managed using smart nutrient application in order to increase drought resistance. Roots are known to be influenced both by their underlying genetics and also by responses to the environment, termed root plasticity. Though very little is known about the combined effect of water and nutrients on root plasticity, we explore the possibilities of root system manipulation by nutrient application. We compare the effects of different water or nutrient levels on root plasticity and its genetic regulation, with a focus on how this may affect drought resistance. We propose four primary mechanisms through which smart nutrient management can optimize root traits for drought resistance: (1) overall plant vigor, (2) increased root allocation, (3) influence specific root traits, and (4) use smart placement and timing to encourage deep rooting. In the longer term, we envision that beneficial root traits, including plasticity, could be bred into efficient varieties and combined with advanced precision management of water and nutrients to achieve agricultural sustainability.

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“…Within a root system, the 3D architecture represents all the available and possible routes (these being the root axes) [14] followed by the forces to be dispersed into the soil [15][16][17][18]. Concurrent with the mechanical stress, other stressors, such as drought or soil's chemical-physical properties, can affect root system 3D architecture [19][20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of Annual Ring Eccentricity in Coarse Roots within the Root Cage of Pinus ponderosa Growing on Slopes

Montagnoli

Lasserre

Sferra

et al. 2020

Plants

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The coarse roots of Pinus ponderosa included in the cage are the ones most involved in tree stability. This study explored the variations in traits, such as volume, cross-sectional area, and radius length of cage roots, and used those data to develop a mathematical model to better understand the type of forces occurring for each shallow lateral root segment belonging to different quadrants of the three-dimensional (3D) root system architecture. The pattern and intensity of these forces were modelled along the root segment from the branching point to the cage edge. Data of root cage volume in the upper 30 cm of soil showed a higher value in the downslope and windward quadrant while, at a deeper soil depth (>30 cm), we found higher values in both upslope and leeward quadrants. The analysis of radius length and the cross-sectional area of the shallow lateral roots revealed the presence of a considerable degree of eccentricity of the annual rings at the branching point and at the cage edge. This eccentricity is due to the formation of compression wood, and the eccentricity changes from the top portion at the branching point to the bottom portion at the cage edge, which we hypothesize may be a response to the variation in mechanical forces occurring in the various zones of the cage. This hypothesis is supported by a mathematical model that shows how the pattern and intensity of different types of mechanical forces are present within the various quadrants of the same root system from the taproot to the cage edge.

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Root Plasticity in the Pursuit of Water

Cited by 50 publications

References 135 publications

Variation Among Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Response to the Drought Stress. II—Root System Structure

Variation Among Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Response to the Drought Stress. II—Root System Structure

Can smart nutrient applications optimize the plant's hidden half to improve drought resistance?

Formation of Annual Ring Eccentricity in Coarse Roots within the Root Cage of Pinus ponderosa Growing on Slopes

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