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Review
. 2011 Jul;156(3):1041-9.
doi: 10.1104/pp.111.175414. Epub 2011 May 24.

Root phenes for enhanced soil exploration and phosphorus acquisition: tools for future crops

Jonathan P Lynch  1
Affiliations
Review

Root phenes for enhanced soil exploration and phosphorus acquisition: tools for future crops

Jonathan P Lynch. Plant Physiol. 2011 Jul.
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map of global soil phosphorus availability. The dominance of red and light-gray colors, indicating suboptimal phosphorus availability for the growth of many plant species, indicates the importance of phosphorus availability as a primary limitation to plant productivity in terrestrial environments (from Jaramillo-Velastagui, 2011).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Root phenes associated with genotypic differences in adaptation to low phosphorus (from Lynch, 2007).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Shallow versus deep basal RGAs in two common bean genotypes grown in the field in South Africa.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Variation in BRWN in common bean is related to the number of basal roots produced and therefore soil exploration.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
A, Cross sections of seminal roots of maize showing genotypic difference in cortical aerenchyma formation, which replaces living cortical cells (left) with air-filled lacunae (right). Genotypes are closely related progeny (RILs) of the same two parents. B, Maintenance of root growth in a low-phosphorus field as related to cortical aerenchyma formation in unrelated maize genotypes. Root weights are expressed as the proportion of corresponding high-phosphorus roots. Each point is the mean of four replicates.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Visualization of the simulated root architecture of common bean and maize at 40 d after germination. HP, High soil phosphorus (18 μm); LP, low soil phosphorus (3 μm). HP visualization shows a root system without RCA formation, as the root system with RCA formation was visually not different (from Postma and Lynch, 2010).
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
A, Root etiolation: reduced secondary development of common bean roots in response to phosphorus stress. Root cross sections are from tissues of equivalent age in equivalent root classes of the same genotype. B, Effect of root etiolation on shoot biomass accumulation in low-phosphorus plants 40 d after germination as modeled in SimRoot (from J.A. Postma and J.P. Lynch, unpublished data).
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Genotypic variation for root hair length and density in common bean. The genotype on the top is the result of scientific breeding and is an important commercial cultivar in Central America. The genotype on the bottom is a Peruvian landrace.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Longer root hairs improve phosphorus acquisition in the presence and absence of mycorrhizal inoculation in common bean. Plants were grown for 28 d in low-phosphorus soil in pots with (+VAM) or without (−VAM) mycorrhizal inoculum. Genotypes are RILs having long or short root hairs. Each bar is the mean of four replicates, bars = sem. (from Miguel, 2004).
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References

    1. Bates T, Lynch JP. (2001) Root hairs confer a competitive advantage under low phosphorus availability. Plant Soil 236: 243–250
    1. Borch K, Bouma TJ, Lynch JP, Brown KM. (1999) Ethylene: a regulator of root architectural responses to soil phosphorus availability. Plant Cell Environ 22: 425–431
    1. Henry A, Chaves NF, Kleinman PJA, Lynch JP. (2010a) Will nutrient-efficient genotypes mine the soil? Effects of genetic differences in root architecture in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) on soil phosphorus depletion in a low-input agro-ecosystem in Central America. Field Crops Res 115: 67–78
    1. Henry A, Rosas JC, Beaver JS, Lynch JP. (2010b) Multiple stress response and belowground competition in multilines of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Field Crops Res 117: 209–218
    1. Ho M, Rosas J, Brown K, Lynch JP. (2005) Root architectural tradeoffs for water and phosphorus acquisition. Funct Plant Biol 32: 737–748 - PubMed

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