TY - JOUR
T1 - Multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma enhance root penetration in compacted soils
AU - Schneider, Hannah M.
AU - Strock, Christopher F.
AU - Hanlon, Meredith T.
AU - Vanhees, Dorien J.
AU - Perkins, Alden C.
AU - Ajmera, Ishan B.
AU - Sidhu, Jagdeep Singh
AU - Mooney, Sacha J.
AU - Brown, Kathleen M.
AU - Lynch, Jonathan P.
N1 - Funding Information:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank John Cantolina at the Pennsylvania State University Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Microscopy Core Facility for assistance with cryoscanning electron microscopy imaging, and Hojae Yi for support with root biomechanical properties at the Mechanical Testing Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University. H.M.S., M.T.H., A.C.P., J.S.S., K.M.B., and J.P.L. acknowledge support from US Department of Energy ARPA-E Award DE-AR0000821. C.F.S. and J.P.L. acknowledge support from a grant from Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research/Crops of the Future Collaborative. I.B.A. and J.P.L. acknowledge support from a grant from Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research/Crops in Silico. All Pennsylvania State University authors acknowledge support from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations Project PEN04732. D.J.V. and S.J.M. were supported by a University of Nottingham studentship grant.
Funding Information:
We thank John Cantolina at the Pennsylvania State University Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Microscopy Core Facility for assistance with cryoscanning electron microscopy imaging, and Hojae Yi for support with root biomechanical properties at the Mechanical Testing Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University. H.M.S., M.T.H., A.C.P., J.S.S., K.M.B., and J.P.L. acknowledge support from US Department of Energy ARPA-E Award DE-AR0000821. C.F.S. and J.P.L. acknowledge support from a grant from Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research/Crops of the Future Collaborative. I.B.A. and J.P.L. acknowledge support from a grant from Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research/Crops in Silico. All Pennsylvania State University authors acknowledge support from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations Project PEN04732. D.J.V. and S.J.M. were supported by a University of Nottingham studentship grant.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/2/9
Y1 - 2021/2/9
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2012087118
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2012087118
M3 - Article
C2 - 33536333
AN - SCOPUS:85100604989
VL - 118
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 6
M1 - e2012087118
ER -