An Open And Shut Case

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Food security represents an increasing global issue particularly as climate change, which is causing rainfall patterns to become much more erratic, impacts rain-fed crops. Plant roots play a critical role to reduce the impact of transient water stress. For example, roots cease branching when they lose contact with moist soil employing a mechanism called Xerobranching. Discovering how roots respond to transient water stress is therefore of vital importance for agriculture and 'future proofing' crops. This research project will investigate how Xerobranching works to ensure new root branches only form when there is water available. Our research project attempts to 'fill in the gaps' between roots sensing the loss of water availability and then ceasing branching. To help our studies, we have developed an entirely new way to image water moving between plant cells, which will be instrumental for understanding what happens when roots are exposed to water stress. We have also identified plant hormone signals such as abscisic acid and auxin are important for Xerobranching. Several promising processes will be characterised including one that opens and shuts pores between root cells to enable hormone signals to move and regulate root branching. The knowledge gained from this study will provide new information about the key genes and processes controlling root branching in response to water availability, helping scientists design novel approaches to manipulate root architecture to enhance resource capture and yield in crops.