Is Root Cortical Senescence Beneficial?
Blog, Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, Research, Research Blog0 Comments
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Root cortical senescence (RCS) is a type of programmed cell death found in the Triticeae tribe. RCS is unrelated to the formation of root cortical aerenchyma or the loss of the root cortex due to secondary growth in dicots. Conceivably RCS may benefit the plant by reducing maintenance respiration in…
A sacrifice-for-survival mechanism protects root stem cell niche from chilling stress
Plant Science Research WeeklyChilling to 4° induces cell death in a subset of cells at the Arabidopsis root tip, the CSCDs (columella stem cell daughters, located just distal to the quiescent center). Hong et al. show that this cell death is dependent on cell division and that it is an active, programmed response. Blocking this…
Acetate-mediated novel survival strategy against drought in plants ($)
Plant Science Research WeeklyKim et al. explored the molecular basis for the drought tolerance previously observed for mutants of histone deacetylase HDA6. They observed that genes involved in acetate production are upregulated in hda6 mutants and in drought-stressed plants. Furthermore, acetate biosynthesis mutants are more sensitive…
Update: Leaf hydraulic architecture and stomatal conductance: a functional perspective
Plant Physiology: Updates, Research, Research BlogBy Fulton E. Rockwell, and N. Michele Holbrook
The structure of leaf vasculature viewed over a broad phylogenetic scale from lycophytes to eudicots correlates with stomatal conductance (gs), providing the basis for the hypothesis that increasing vein density drove the evolution of high fluxes in angiosperms.…
Phenotyping Water Deficit Acclimation Responses
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, Research, Research BlogWater deficit (WD) is one of the main environmental stress factors affecting crops and global food security. Acclimation to WD, however, enables plants to maintain growth under unfavorable environmental conditions. To shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying WD acclimation, Rymaszewski et al.…
Root traits confer grain yield advantages under terminal drought in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThis study by Ramamoorthy et al. showed that survival of plants under drought conditions is not a sufficient goal for breeding. Rather, yield for biomass and food production under water deficit is a better target. Chickpea genotypes having better root growth and higher root density showed better grain…
Variable mesophyll conductance among soybean cultivars sets a tradeoff between photosynthesis and water-use-efficiency
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchAn experimental study by Tomeo and Rosenthal with soybean cultivars demonstrated that there exists genotypic differences in mesophyll conductance (gm), and that the potential exploitation of this trait may increase crop productivity. It was found that there exists a proper coordination mechanism…
How Rice Thrives in Flooded Fields
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellYamauchi et al. study the formation of aerenchyma in rice – spongy tissue filled with air spaces that develop in roots of wetland plants http://www.plantcell.org/content/29/4/775.abstract
Plants, like animals, need oxygen for respiration (the metabolic process of breaking down sugars to get energy).…
How Plants Sense Cold and Activate Cold Tolerance
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellKidokoro et al. investigate how plants sense cold and activate cold tolerance http://www.plantcell.org/content/29/4/760.abstract.
Cold stress can be just as lethal as heat stress. When a cell freezes, the water inside it expands as it turns to ice. This can cause the cell membrane to rupture and lead…