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- Title
Not so hidden anymore: Advances and challenges in understanding root growth under water deficits.
- Authors
Voothuluru, Priya; Wu, Yajun; Sharp, Robert E
- 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. We review the current understanding of selected milestones in understanding of root growth responses to water deficits, with emphasis on founding studies that have shaped our current knowledge.
- Subjects
PLANT development; PLANT adaptation; CROP yields; PLANT-water relationships; CROP development; KNOWLEDGE gap theory; ROOT growth
- Publication
Plant Cell, 2024, Vol 36, Issue 5, p1377
- ISSN
1040-4651
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/plcell/koae055