Plant Roots

Adventitious roots have varied origins and functions, as illustrated by three case studies that highlight their physiology under flooding, nutrient deficiency, and wounding stress.

It is common for plant biologists to point out the importance of the neglected, hidden segment of plants that are their roots. It is striking to contemplate how much a better understanding of roots could contribute to the challenges facing agriculture today, namely a better use of fertilizer and ...

Both abscisic acid and a nitrate transporter regulate the production of ROS and the expression of superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase enzymes to regulate root elongation.

Automatic methods developed or reproducible field-based phenotyping allow distinction of genotypes, including 13 newly accessible plant root traits.

Exceptionally well-preserved fossils shed light on the earliest roots and their interactions with the environment.

Sorghum homologs of a rice gene contributing to P-starvation tolerance enhance P uptake and crop performance in low-P soils via modulation of root system morphology and architecture.

Neutron radiography traces the transport of deuterated water in soil and roots to reconstruct the water flow across the root tissue and along the xylem.

The diversity of postembryonic root forms and their functions add to our understanding of the genes, signals and mechanisms regulating lateral and adventitious root branching in the plant models Arabidopsis and rice.

Pi deprivation shifts the subcellular distribution of two key brassinosteroid-related transcriptional effectors to trigger shallower root system architecture.

Different routes underlie radial transport of nutrients in plant roots and are influenced by the endodermis permeability and the polarity of transporters.

The endodermis acts as a barrier to solute and water movement but also has important functions in signaling and morphogenesis.

Roots and microbes secrete organic compounds into the rhizosphere that influence plant productivity.

Root morphological traits that are relevant for nutrient acquisition are regulated by nutrients and the plant’s nutritional status.

The functional soil microbiome is an important parameter in developing a sustainable and effective strategy to increase crop yield and food security.

Strigolactones play a role in root development, root response to nutrient deficiency, and plant interactions in the rhizosphere.

A histone Lys methyltransferase gene is expressed in the root stem cell niche and contributes to coordinated divisions in the immediate cell lineage originating from the same stem cell.

The dynamics of nutrient transporters and channels emerges as a critical and highly regulated cellular process controlling nutrient uptake and distribution in plant roots.

Flavonols contribute to lateral root development through the regulation of auxin transport and root hair and they modulate the levels of reactive oxygen species.

Cellular and molecular events are inherent to the formation and development of the root cap in rice.

Extended branching order classification describes morphological variability in root systems and respiration better than traditional root diameter classes or root orders alone.

Abundant root cortical aerenchyma improves plant growth under nitrogen-limiting conditions by decreasing root metabolic costs, enhancing soil exploration in deep soil strata, thereby increasing nitrogen acquisition at greater depths.

The optimal lateral root branching density in the maize root system depends on the relative availability of nitrate (a mobile soil resource) and phosphorus (an immobile soil resource), with the optimum shifting to more branches when the nitrate-to-phosphorus ratio is high.

Testing tomato gene expression with tagged nuclei and ribosomes and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing shows conservation of SHORT-ROOT gene function.

Low crown root number improves nitrogen acquisition in maize by enhancing deep soil exploration in low-nitrogen soils.

Roots play a key role in determining long life in perennials.