Maize root mucilage alters stomatal responses to soil and atmospheric drought: Implications for plant water use.

ABSTRACT: Plants respond to soil and atmospheric water deficits through strategies such as stomatal regulation and belowground adaptations. Root mucilage buffers erratic fluctuations in the rhizosphere water content, yet its influence on soil hydraulic properties, especially unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, and stomatal regulation remains unknown. We hypothesized that mucilage facilitates water uptake by attenuating the drop in matric potential at the root-soil interface during soil and atmospheric drying. We measured the impact of various maize (Zea mays) mucilage contents (0.0%, 0.05%, 0.2%, and 0.4%) on the water retention and hydraulic conductivity of a loamy soil. Leveraging a soil-plant hydraulic model, we investigated the effects of mucilage contents on transpiration and stomatal responses

SUBMITTER: Cai G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12585534 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature