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Structure and Function of Roots

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Development and Morphogenesis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 31321

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Viktor Demko

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1. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
2. Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: asymmetric cell divisions; cell fate control; evolution of development; membrane proteins

Prof. Dr. Ján Jásik

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Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: cell biology; confocal laser microscopy; photoconvertible fluorescent proteins; plant synaptotagmins; adventitious rooting

Prof. Dr. Alexander Lux

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
2. Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: phytoremediation; plant anatomy and morphology; plant nutrition; plants and abiotic stress; silicon in plant biology

Dr. Marek Vaculík

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
2. Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: heavy metals and metalloids; phytoremediation; root anatomy and morphology; silicon in plant biology; stress physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dear Root Researchers,

It was claimed several years ago that at least 10% of research focused on shoots (and leaves especially) should be focused on roots. This is probably becoming true with more and more researchers realizing the importance of processes that take place in roots and at interfaces between plant roots and surrounding ambient.

As it was written by Michal B. Jackson 20 years ago (2001), “it is difficult to find a functional interface of greater importance for terrestrial life than the one that exists between plant roots and the soil they exploit”. This citation was published in the Preface to the book “Recent Advances to Plant Root Structure and Function”, publishing selected contributions to the Fifth International Symposium on Structure and Function of Roots organized in Slovakia in September 1998. The fifth conference was a continuation of conferences focused on roots that was started by a group of scientists from the Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences in Slovakia in 1971. Successful series of symposia, later co-organized by colleagues from Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences and Slovak Society of Botany, attended root researchers from many countries and these meetings continue till nowadays.

Now, fifty years after the first of these conferences, another international meeting will be organized by the same institutions in June 2022 in the High Tatras in Slovakia. In the context of this event, we invite you to contribute to this Special Issue where articles, including original research papers, opinions, reviews, and methods that focus on plant root structure and function, including anatomy, cytology, biochemistry, physiology, modern methods of molecular biology, genomics, metabolomics and proteomics are welcome. Special attention will be given to the root role in plant nutrition, interaction with toxic substances, the root–soil interphase and soil microbiome, symbiosis, mycorrhiza and all processes that occur in the rhizosphere. Works using field trials and agronomics, as well as lab experiments in hydroponics using crop plants, trees, aquatic plants, native species, and model plants are most welcome. Please find more information on the Symposium here: https://rootsymposium-slovakia.com/.

Dr. Viktor Demko
Prof. Dr. Ján Jásik
Prof. Dr. Alexander Lux
Dr. Marek Vaculík
Guest Editors

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Keywords

root anatomy
root cytology
root physiology
root and environment
root development
root uptake and translocation of water and nutrients
roots and biotic stress
roots and abiotic stress
mycorrhiza
rhizosphere
root growth modelling
root imaging techniques

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Antimonite and Silicon Share the Same Root Uptake Pathway by Lsi1 in Sorghum bicolor L. Moench?

by Chirappurathu Sukumaran Nair Vidya, Rajpal Shetty, Boris Bokor, Ivana Fialová, Miroslava Luxová, Katarína Jašková and Marek Vaculík

Plants 2023, 12(12), 2368; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122368 - 19 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1193

Abstract

A study was conducted to further develop our understanding of antimony (Sb) uptake in plants. Unlike other metal(loid)s, such as silicon (Si), the mechanisms of Sb uptake are not well understood. However, SbIII is thought to enter the cell via aquaglyceroporins. We investigated if the channel protein Lsi1, which aids in Si uptake, also plays a role in Sb uptake. Seedlings of WT sorghum, with normal silicon accumulation, and its mutant (sblsi1), with low silicon accumulation, were grown in Hoagland solution for 22 days in the growth chamber under controlled conditions. Control, Sb (10 mg Sb L⁻¹), Si (1mM) and Sb + Si (10 mg Sb L⁻¹ + 1 mM Si) were the treatments. After 22 days, root and shoot biomass, the concentration of elements in root and shoot tissues, lipid peroxidation and ascorbate levels, and relative expression of Lsi1 were determined. When mutant plants were exposed to Sb, they showed almost no toxicity symptoms compared to WT plants, indicating that Sb was not toxic to mutant plants. On the other hand, WT plants had decreased root and shoot biomass, increased MDA content and increased Sb uptake compared to mutant plants. In the presence of Sb, we also found that SbLsi1 was downregulated in the roots of WT plants. The results of this experiment support the role of Lsi1 in Sb uptake in sorghum plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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16 pages, 1516 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Root Morphologies of Contrasting Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Genotypes Are Robust of a Drought Treatment

by Zhuanyun Si, Emmanuel Delhaize, Pieter-Willem Hendriks and Xiaoqing Li

Plants 2023, 12(2), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020275 - 6 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2152

Abstract

We aimed to assess the effect of water deprivation on root traits and to establish if the wheat cultivars Spica and Maringa would be useful as parental germplasm for a genetic analysis of root traits. Plants were grown in two markedly different soils under well-watered and water-limited treatments in controlled environment growth cabinets. The drought treatment was imposed as a gradual depletion of water over 28 days as seedlings grew from a defined starting moisture content. The root traits analyzed included length, nodal root number, thickness and nodal root angle. The relative differences in traits between genotypes generally proved to be robust in terms of water treatment and soil type. Maringa had a shallower nodal root angle than Spica, which was driven by the nodal roots. By contrast, the seminal roots of Maringa were found to be similar to or even steeper than those of Spica. We conclude that the differences in root traits between Spica and Maringa were robust to the drought treatment and soil types. Phenotyping on well-watered soil is relevant for identifying traits potentially involved in conferring water use efficiency. Furthermore, Spica and Maringa are suitable parental germplasm for developing populations to determine the genetics of key root traits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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24 pages, 4125 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic Variability of Root System Architecture Traits for Drought Tolerance among Accessions of Citron Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L.H. Bailey)

by Takudzwa Mandizvo, Alfred Oduor Odindo, Jacob Mashilo, Julia Sibiya and Sascha Lynn Beck-Pay

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2522; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192522 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2199

Abstract

Citron watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is a drought-tolerant cucurbit crop widely grown in sub-Saharan Africa in arid and semi-arid environments. The species is a C3 xerophyte used for multiple purposes, including intercropping with maize, and has a deep taproot system. The deep taproot system plays a key role in the species’ adaptation to dry conditions. Understanding the root system development of this crop could be useful to identify traits for breeding water-use efficient and drought-tolerant varieties. This study compared the root system architecture of citron watermelon accessions under water-stress conditions. Nine selected and drought-tolerant citron watermelon accessions were grown under non-stress (NS) and water stress (WS) conditions using the root rhizotron procedure in a glasshouse. The following root system architecture (RSA) traits were measured: root system width (RSW), root system depth (RSD), convex hull area (CHA), total root length (TRL), root branch count (RBC), total root volume (TRV), leaf area (LA), leaf number (LN), first seminal root length (FSRL), seminal root angle (SRA), root dry mass (RDM), shoot dry mass (SDM), root–shoot mass ratio (RSM), root mass ratio (RMR), shoot mass ratio (SMR) and root tissue density (RTD). The data collected on RSA traits were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation and principal component analyses. ANOVA revealed a significant (p < 0.05) accession × water stress interaction effect for studied RSA traits. Under WS, RDM exhibited significant and positive correlations with RSM (r = 0.65), RMR (r = 0.66), RSD (r = 0.66), TRL (r = 0.60), RBC (r = 0.72), FSRL (r = 0.73) and LN (r = 0.70). The principal component analysis revealed high loading scores for the following RSA traits: RSW (0.89), RSD (0.97), TRL (0.99), TRV (0.90), TRL (0.99), RMR (0.96) and RDM (0.76). In conclusion, the study has shown that the identified RSA traits could be useful in crop improvement programmes for citron watermelon genotypes with enhanced drought adaptation for improved yield performance under drought-prone environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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23 pages, 4960 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Characterization of Root System Architecture Traits in Diverse Soybean Genotypes Using a Semi-Hydroponic System

by Shuo Liu, Naheeda Begum, Tingting An, Tuanjie Zhao, Bingcheng Xu, Suiqi Zhang, Xiping Deng, Hon-Ming Lam, Henry T. Nguyen, Kadambot H. M. Siddique and Yinglong Chen

Plants 2021, 10(12), 2781; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122781 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5628

Abstract

Phenotypic variation and correlations among root traits form the basis for selecting and breeding soybean varieties with efficient access to water and nutrients and better adaptation to abiotic stresses. Therefore, it is important to develop a simple and consistent system to study root traits in soybean. In this study, we adopted the semi-hydroponic system to investigate the variability in root morphological traits of 171 soybean genotypes popularized in the Yangtze and Huaihe River regions, eastern China. Highly diverse phenotypes were observed: shoot height (18.7–86.7 cm per plant with a median of 52.3 cm); total root length (208–1663 cm per plant with a median of 885 cm); and root mass (dry weight) (19.4–251 mg per plant with a median of 124 mg). Both total root length and root mass exhibited significant positive correlation with shoot mass (p ≤ 0.05), indicating their relationship with plant growth and adaptation strategies. The nine selected traits contributed to one of the two principal components (eigenvalues > 1), accounting for 78.9% of the total genotypic variation. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis separated the 171 genotypes into five major groups based on these root traits. Three selected genotypes with contrasting root systems were validated in soil-filled rhizoboxes (1.5 m deep) until maturity. Consistent ranking of the genotypes in some important root traits at various growth stages between the two experiments indicates the reliability of the semi-hydroponic system in phenotyping root trait variability at the early growth stage in soybean germplasms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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16 pages, 10240 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Orchid Velamen: A Model System for Studying Patterned Secondary Cell Wall Development?

by Nurul A. Idris, Maketelana Aleamotuʻa, David W. McCurdy and David A. Collings

Plants 2021, 10(7), 1358; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071358 - 2 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6221

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms through which plants generate secondary cell walls is of more than academic interest: the physical properties of plant-derived materials, including timber and textiles, all depend upon secondary wall cellulose organization. Processes controlling cellulose in the secondary cell wall and their reliance on microtubules have been documented in recent decades, but this understanding is complicated, as secondary walls normally form in the plant’s interior where live cell imaging is more difficult. We investigated secondary wall formation in the orchid velamen, a multicellular epidermal layer found around orchid roots that consists of dead cells with lignified secondary cell walls. The patterns of cell wall ridges that form within the velamen vary between different orchid species, but immunolabelling demonstrated that wall deposition is controlled by microtubules. As these patterning events occur at the outer surface of the root, and as orchids are adaptable for tissue culture and genetic manipulation, we conclude that the orchid root velamen may indeed be a suitable model system for studying the organization of the plant cell wall. Notably, roots of the commonly grown orchid Laelia anceps appear ideally suited for developing this research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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Review

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15 pages, 3646 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pulse Root Ideotype for Water Stress in Temperate Cropping System

by Shiwangni Rao, Roger Armstrong, Viridiana Silva-Perez, Abeya T. Tefera and Garry M. Rosewarne

Plants 2021, 10(4), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040692 - 3 Apr 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6365

Abstract

Pulses are a key component of crop production systems in Southern Australia due to their rotational benefits and potential profit margins. However, cultivation in temperate cropping systems such as that of Southern Australia is limited by low soil water availability and subsoil constraints. This limitation of soil water is compounded by the irregular rainfall, resulting in the absence of plant available water at depth. An increase in the productivity of key pulses and expansion into environments and soil types traditionally considered marginal for their growth will require improved use of the limited soil water and adaptation to sub soil constrains. Roots serve as the interface between soil constraints and the whole plant. Changes in root system architecture (RSA) can be utilised as an adaptive strategy in achieving yield potential under limited rainfall, heterogenous distribution of resources and other soil-based constraints. The existing literature has identified a “‘Steep, Deep and Cheap” root ideotype as a preferred RSA. However, this idiotype is not efficient in a temperate system where plant available water is limited at depth. In addition, this root ideotype and other root architectural studies have focused on cereal crops, which have different structures and growth patterns to pulses due to their monocotyledonous nature and determinant growth habit. The paucity of pulse-specific root architectural studies warrants further investigations into pulse RSA, which should be combined with an examination of the existing variability of known genetic traits so as to develop strategies to alleviate production constraints through either tolerance or avoidance mechanisms. This review proposes a new model of root system architecture of “Wide, Shallow and Fine” roots based on pulse roots in temperate cropping systems. The proposed ideotype has, in addition to other root traits, a root density concentrated in the upper soil layers to capture in-season rainfall before it is lost due to evaporation. The review highlights the potential to achieve this in key pulse crops including chickpea, lentil, faba bean, field pea and lupin. Where possible, comparisons to determinate crops such as cereals have also been made. The review identifies the key root traits that have shown a degree of adaptation via tolerance or avoidance to water stress and documents the current known variability that exists in and amongst pulse crops setting priorities for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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Other

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16 pages, 6472 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Methods of In Situ Quantitative Root Biology

by Taras Pasternak and José Manuel Pérez-Pérez

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2399; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112399 - 6 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4939

Abstract

When dealing with plant roots, a multiscale description of the functional root structure is needed. Since the beginning of 21st century, new devices such as laser confocal microscopes have been accessible for coarse root structure measurements, including three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. Most researchers are familiar with using simple 2D geometry visualization that does not allow quantitative determination of key morphological features from an organ-like perspective. We provide here a detailed description of the quantitative methods available for 3D analysis of root features at single-cell resolution, including root asymmetry, lateral root analysis, cell size and nuclear organization, cell-cycle kinetics, and chromatin structure analysis. Quantitative maps of the root apical meristem (RAM) are shown for different species, including Arabidopsis thaliana (L.), Heynh, Nicotiana tabacum L., Medicago sativa L., and Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. The 3D analysis of the RAM in these species showed divergence in chromatin organization and cell volume distribution that might be used to study root zonation for each root tissue. Detailed protocols and possible pitfalls in the usage of the marker lines are discussed. Therefore, researchers who need to improve their quantitative root biology portfolio can use them as a reference. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure and Function of Roots)

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