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Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma enhance root penetration in compacted soils.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical impedance limits soil exploration and resource capture by plant roots. We examine the role of root anatomy in regulating plant adaptation to mechanical impedance and identify a root anatomical phene in maize (Zea mays) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) associated with penetration of hard soil: Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma (MCS). We characterize this trait and evaluate the utility of MCS for root penetration in compacted soils. Roots with MCS had a greater cell wall-to-lumen ratio and a distinct UV emission spectrum in outer cortical cells. Genome-wide association mapping revealed that MCS is heritable and genetically controlled. We identified a candidate gene associated with MCS. Across all root classes and nodal positions, maize genotypes with MCS had 13% greater root lignin concentration compared to genotypes without MCS. Genotypes without MCS formed MCS upon exogenous ethylene exposure. Genotypes with MCS had greater lignin concentration and bending strength at the root tip. In controlled environments, MCS in maize and wheat was associated improved root tensile strength and increased penetration ability in compacted soils. Maize genotypes with MCS had root systems with 22% greater depth and 49% greater shoot biomass in compacted soils in the field compared to lines without MCS. Of the lines we assessed, MCS was present in 30 to 50% of modern maize, wheat, and barley cultivars but was absent in teosinte and wild and landrace accessions of wheat and barley. MCS merits investigation as a trait for improving plant performance in maize, wheat, and other grasses under edaphic stress.

SUBMITTER: Schneider HM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8017984 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma enhance root penetration in compacted soils.

Schneider Hannah M HM Strock Christopher F CF Hanlon Meredith T MT Vanhees Dorien J DJ Perkins Alden C AC Ajmera Ishan B IB Sidhu Jagdeep Singh JS Mooney Sacha J SJ Brown Kathleen M KM Lynch Jonathan P JP

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20210201 6

Mechanical impedance limits soil exploration and resource capture by plant roots. We examine the role of root anatomy in regulating plant adaptation to mechanical impedance and identify a root anatomical phene in maize (<i>Zea mays</i>) and wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>) associated with penetration of hard soil: Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma (MCS). We characterize this trait and evaluate the utility of MCS for root penetration in compacted soils. Roots with MCS had a greater cell wall-to- ...[more]

PMID: 33536333

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Project description:Background and aimsThe formation of root cortical aerenchyma (RCA) reduces root respiration and nutrient content by converting living tissue to air volume. It was hypothesized that RCA increases soil resource acquisition by reducing the metabolic and phosphorus cost of soil exploration.MethodsTo test the quantitative logic of the hypothesis, SimRoot, a functional-structural plant model with emphasis on root architecture and nutrient acquisition, was employed. Sensitivity analyses for the effects of RCA on the initial 40 d of growth of maize (Zea mays) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) were conducted in soils with varying degrees of phosphorus availability. With reference to future climates, the benefit of having RCA in high CO(2) environments was simulated.Key resultsThe model shows that RCA may increase the growth of plants faced with suboptimal phosphorus availability up to 70 % for maize and 14 % for bean after 40 d of growth. Maximum increases were obtained at low phosphorus availability (3 µm). Remobilization of phosphorus from dying cells had a larger effect on plant growth than reduced root respiration. The benefit of both these functions was additive and increased over time. Larger benefits may be expected for mature plants. Sensitivity analysis for light-use efficiency showed that the benefit of having RCA is relatively stable, suggesting that elevated CO(2) in future climates will not significantly effect the benefits of having RCA.ConclusionsThe results support the hypothesis that RCA is an adaptive trait for phosphorus acquisition by remobilizing phosphorus from the root cortex and reducing the metabolic costs of soil exploration. The benefit of having RCA in low-phosphorus soils is larger for maize than for bean, as maize is more sensitive to low phosphorus availability while it has a more 'expensive' root system. Genetic variation in RCA may be useful for breeding phosphorus-efficient crop cultivars, which is important for improving global food security.

Project description:Soil compaction is one of the crucial factors that restrains the root respiration, energy metabolism and growth of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) due to hypoxia, which can be alleviated by ventilation. We therefore carried out a pot experiment with three treatments: no ventilation control (CK), (2) ventilation volumes at 1.2 (T1), and 1.5 (T2) times of the standard ventilation volume (2.02 L/pot). Compared to no-ventilation in compacted soil, ventilation T1 significantly increased total root length, root surface area, root volume and tips at the peanut anthesis stage (62 days after sowing), while T2 showed a negative impact on the above-mentioned root morphological characteristics. At the podding stage (S2, 95 days after sowing), both ventilation treatments improved root morphology, especially under T1. Compared to CK, both ventilation T1 and T2 decreased the activities of enzymes involving the anaerobic respiration, including root lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase. The activities of antioxidant enzymes of root superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase also decreased at S1, while superoxide dismutase and peroxidase significantly increased under T1 at S2. The ventilation of compacted soil changed soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities, with highest bacterial alpha diversity indices under T1. The Pearson correlation analyses indicated a positive relationship between the relative abundance of Bradyrhizobiaceae and root activity, and between unclassified_family of Rhizobiales and the root surface area, while Enterobacteriaceae had a negative impact on the root nodule number. The Pearson correlation test showed that the root surface, tips and activity positively correlated with root superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities. These results demonstrate that soil ventilation could enhance plant root growth, the diversity and function of soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities. The generated results from this present study could serve as important evidence in alleviating soil hypoxia caused by compaction.

Project description:At present, the measurement of tillage depth is mainly based on manual measurement, but the manual raking method results in low measurement accuracy and high labor intensity. Due to the complexity of soil, theoretical research on tillage depth is relatively scarce. In order to provide a new research direction and research idea for soil stratification, topsoil was taken as the research object of this paper. The correlation between penetration resistance and penetration depth of a probe in a cultivated soil was studied, and a mathematical model was established. There is a certain similarity between the process of spherical cavity expansion and the process of probe penetration, so we introduced the theory of spherical cavity expansion into the modeling of penetration resistance of the cultivated soil. In this paper, the spherical cavity expansion theory of unsaturated soil was used as the basis for solving the penetration resistance. And the unified strength criterion was employed as a yield condition of the soil to set a stress solution and a displacement solutionin into of the probe penetrating into the elasto-plastic zone of the cultivated soil to determine the model of expansion force. We have carried out indoor tests to revise the expansion force model. Firstly, according to the range of soil density and water content in the field, the soil densities were classified into 1.1×103kg/m3, 1.2×103kg/m3 and 1.3×103kg/m3, and the water contents were divided into 10%, 15% and 20%. In addition, the orthogonal tests were performed at different levels. The soil was put into the barrel, and the probe was inserted into the soil in the barrel at the speed of 8mm/s to determine the test values of the change of the probe penetration resistance with depth. Finally, the expansion force model was fitted with the results of the indoor test, and coefficient B was introduced to express the influence degree of density and water content on the resistance. Coefficient B was substituted into the expansion force model to obtain the penetration resistance model of the cultivated soil. Through the goodness of fit analysis of the penetration resistance model, the results show that the overall average goodness of fit of the penetration resistance modelat was up to 0.871 at different water contents and densities, which was a good fit and could present novel insights into the study relating to soil stratification theory.

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Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma enhance root penetration in compacted soils.

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Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma enhance root penetration in compacted soils.

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