Discover how plant roots independently sense and adapt to heat, opening a pathway to breeding drought-resistant crops 🌱🌡️. Mother nature's secret to fighting climate change? Find out more! ClimateChange GreenInnovation
For one of the experiments, the team cut off the plant shoots but still allowed the roots to grow. "We found that the roots were not affected by this and grew at elevated temperatures in the same way as on plants with intact shoots. The higher temperature stimulated cell division, and the roots became significantly longer," said Quint.
The team found that in plants with modified shoots that would not react to heat, the roots still sensed and reacted to heat stimuli. When temperatures rise, scientists suspect that plants will respond to it by promoting more root growth so that the roots can reach deeper regions in the soil with more water. Having the roots react to varying temperatures confirmed that the roots sense heat on their own, without help from other parts of the plant.For plants, roots are a vital organ.
"As heat and drought usually occur in tandem, it makes sense for the plants to tap into deeper and cooler soil layers that contain water," Quint said. Plant shoots react to heat similarly to roots. When shoots detect heat, the cells also produce more auxin to signal the plant's stalk to grow taller and have its leaves grow smaller and farther apart, and some plants may even change color. By understanding how plants react to heat stress, researchers may unlock the key to drought-resistant crops in light of climate change.
"In view of climate change, root growth is becoming more and more important for breeding. Understanding the molecular basis for temperature-dependent root growth might help to effectively equip plants against drought stress and achieve stable yields in the long term," said Quint. Quint's team plans to continue observing changes in root behavior in the coming years.
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