Deconstructing the root system of grasses through an exploration of development, anatomy and function.

Well-adapted root systems allow plants to grow under resource-limiting environmental conditions and are important determinants of yield in agricultural systems. Important staple crops such as rice and maize belong to the family of grasses, which develop a complex root system that consists of an embryonic root system that emerges from the seed, and a postembryonic nodal root system that emerges from basal regions of the shoot after germination. While early seedling establishment is dependent on the embryonic root system, the nodal root system, and its associated branches, gains in importance as the plant matures and will ultimately constitute the bulk of below-ground growth.

Comparing Hydraulics Between Two Grapevine Cultivars Reveals Differences in Stomatal Regulation Under Water Stress and Exogenous ABA Applications.

Hydraulics of plants that have different strategies of stomatal regulation under water stress are relatively poorly understood. We explore how root and shoot hydraulics, stomatal conductance ( ), leaf and root aquaporin (AQP) expression, and abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in leaf xylem sap ([ABA]) may be coordinated under mild water stress and exogenous ABA applications in two L. cultivars traditionally classified as near-isohydric (Grenache) and near-anisohydric (Syrah).

Water transport, perception, and response in plants.

Sufficient water availability in the environment is critical for plant survival. Perception of water by plants is necessary to balance water uptake and water loss and to control plant growth. Plant physiology and soil science research have contributed greatly to our understanding of how water moves through soil, is taken up by roots, and moves to leaves where it is lost to the atmosphere by transpiration.

Comparison of isohydric and anisohydric Vitis vinifera L. cultivars reveals a fine balance between hydraulic resistances, driving forces and transpiration in ripening berries.

The degree to which isohydric or anisohydric behaviour extends to the water balance of developing fruits has not previously been explored. Here, we examine the water relations and hydraulic behaviour of Vitis vinifera L. berries during development from two contrasting cultivars that display isohydric (cv.