Soil compaction sensing mechanisms and root responses.

Soil compaction is an agricultural challenge with profound influence on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. It causes drastic changes by increasing mechanical impedance, reducing water infiltration, gaseous exchange, and biological activities. Soil compaction hinders root growth, limiting nutrient and water foraging abilities of plants.

Net O exchange rates under dark and light conditions across different stem compartments.

Woody plants display some photosynthetic activity in stems, but the biological role of stem photosynthesis and the specific contributions of bark and wood to carbon uptake and oxygen evolution remain poorly understood. We aimed to elucidate the functional characteristics of chloroplasts in stems of different ages in Fraxinus ornus. Our investigation employed diverse experimental approaches, including microsensor technology to assess oxygen production rates in whole stem, bark, and wood separately.

The OsEIL1-OsWOX11 transcription factor module controls rice crown root development in response to soil compaction.

Optimizing the root architecture of crops is an effective strategy for improving crop yields. Soil compaction is a serious global problem that limits crop productivity by restricting root growth, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Here, we show that ethylene stimulates rice (Oryza sativa) crown root development in response to soil compaction.

Outer apoplastic barriers in roots: prospects for abiotic stress tolerance.

Floods and droughts are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change and it is imperative to find ways to enhance the resilience of staple crops to abiotic stresses. This is crucial to sustain food production during unfavourable conditions. Here, we analyse the current knowledge about suberised and lignified outer apoplastic barriers, focusing on the functional roles of the barrier to radial O2 loss formed as a response to soil flooding and we discuss whether this trait also provides resilience to multiple abiotic stresses.

The barrier to radial oxygen loss protects roots against hydrogen sulphide intrusion and its toxic effect.

The root barrier to radial O loss (ROL) is a key root trait preventing O loss from roots to anoxic soils, thereby enabling root growth into anoxic, flooded soils. We hypothesized that the ROL barrier can also prevent intrusion of hydrogen sulphide (H S), a potent phytotoxin in flooded soils. Using H S- and O -sensitive microsensors, we measured the apparent permeance to H S of rice roots, tested whether restricted H S intrusion reduced its adverse effects on root respiration, and whether H S could induce the formation of a ROL barrier.

Responses of key root traits in the genus Oryza to soil flooding mimicked by stagnant, deoxygenated nutrient solution.

Excess water can induce flooding stress resulting in yield loss, even in wetland crops such as rice (Oryza). However, traits from species of wild Oryza have already been used to improve tolerance to abiotic stress in cultivated rice. This study aimed to establish root responses to sudden soil flooding among eight wild relatives of rice with different habitat preferences benchmarked against three genotypes of O.

Novel functions of the root barrier to radial oxygen loss - radial diffusion resistance to H and water vapour.

The root barrier to radial O loss (ROL) is a trait enabling waterlogging tolerance of plants. The ROL barrier restricts O diffusion to the anoxic soil so that O is retained inside root tissues. We hypothesised that the ROL barrier can also restrict radial diffusion of other gases (H and water vapour) in rice roots with a barrier to ROL.