Soil:plant signalling networks: manipulations to sustain plant productivity during drought

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This project assesses the importance of long distance chemical signalling in the control of leaf growth in drying soil. It is argued that both soil to root signalling and root to shoot signalling will be important components of the process controlling vegetative growth in dryland agriculture. It will be important to understand both signalling processes if we are to manipulate plants to sustain productivity under environmental stress. The project is relevant to Sustainable Agricultural Systems since limitation of water use (rain-fed agriculture and/or deficit irrigation) is a crucial goal in many parts of the world, including UK. At the same time, we know that soil drying can greatly restrict plant production. We propose a combination of agronomic techniques (partial rootzone drying, the use of plant growth regulating bacteria) with genetic manipulation (reduced ethylene production under stress, reduced ethylene sensitivity) to overcome both hydraulic and chemical limitation to vegetative growth under drought stress or under deficit irrigation. We will assess the nature and significance of ACC and ABA signalling between soil and roots and between roots and shoots and use a model bacterial system to investigate the potential impact of soil organisms in the regulation of plant functioning in dryland environments. Investigation of this integrated system can provide a novel means of manipulating plant growth under stress on a commercial scale