Soil salinity is highly detrimental to plants, and affects root growth. In our latest contribution, Julkowska, Koevoets and colleagues examined salt stress-induced changes in Root System Architecture by studying 347 Arabidopsis accessions collected worldwide. The authors measured 17 RSA traits and developed an app allowing interactive exploration of collected data. GWAS identified 100 loci, among which CYP79B2 and HKT1. CYP79B2 was validated to be involved in maintenance of lateral root growth during salt stress, possibly by altering auxin biosynthesis. Enhanced HKT1 expression in root stelar cells repressed lateral root formation under salt stress conditions, revealing that while retention of salt ions in the root is an excellent mechanism of salinity tolerance in larger plants, it is detrimental for primordia development in young seedlings. Thus, our results provide a better understanding of root remodeling in salt, and identifies novel genetic components for plant performance under stress.
(Summary by Magdalena Julkowska; https://community.plantae.org/article/4850987591010354558/genetic-components-of-root-architecture-remodeling-in-response-to-salt-stress.
Julkowska et al., The Plant Cell 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.16.00680
Roots in Salt 