Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm

Science, vol. 387, pp. 666–673

Abstract

Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips, leading to the patterning of new root branches toward available water in a process called hydropatterning. Little is known about hydropatterning behavior and its genetic basis in crop plants. Here, we developed an assay to measure hydropatterning in maize and revealed substantial differences between tropical/subtropical and temperate maize breeding germplasm that likely resulted from divergent selection. Genetic analysis of hydropatterning confirmed the regulatory role of auxin and revealed that the gaseous hormone ethylene locally inhibits root branching from air-exposed tissues. Our results demonstrate how distinct signaling pathways translate spatial patterns of water availability to developmental programs that determine root architecture.

Authors 15

1. Johannes Daniel Scharwies corresponding

   Stanford University

   Affiliation as printed

   Stanford University;

   Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

2. Zihao Zheng

   Iowa State University

   Affiliation as printed

   Iowa State University;

   Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

3. Andrea Dinneny

   Stanford University

   Affiliation as printed

   Stanford University;

   Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

4. Siri Birkeland

   Norwegian University of Life Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Norwegian University of Life Sciences;

   Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway

5. Margaretha A. Veltman Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center · University of Oslo

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Oslo;

   Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CR Leiden, Netherlands

6. Craig J. Sturrock

   University of Nottingham

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Nottingham;

   Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK

7. Jason Banda

   University of Nottingham

   Affiliation as printed

   Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK

8. Héctor H. Torres‐Martínez

   Stanford University

   Affiliation as printed

   Stanford University;

   Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

9. Willian G. Viana

   Stanford University

   Affiliation as printed

   Stanford University;

   Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

10. Ria Khare

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Affiliation as printed

    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

11. Joseph J. Kieber

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Affiliation as printed

    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

12. Bipin Kumar Pandey

    University of Nottingham

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Nottingham;

    Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK

13. Malcolm John Bennett

    University of Nottingham

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Nottingham;

    Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK

14. Patrick S. Schnable

    Iowa State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Iowa State University;

    Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

15. José R. Dinneny

    Howard Hughes Medical Institute · Stanford University

    Affiliation as printed

    Stanford University;

    Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA