13 ERA-CAPS: Plant root diffusional barriers: Genesis and implications for nutrient efficiency and stress tolerance

植物根系起着控制从土壤中吸收水分和必需矿质养分的关键作用。这一功能是所有陆地植物正常生长发育所必需的。根中被称为内胚层的特殊细胞在控制水和矿物质营养物质从根到叶的运输中起着关键作用。这些特化的细胞具有重要的细胞壁修饰，作为屏障阻止水和矿物质营养物质不受控制地进入植物。尽管这些障碍很重要，但控制它们发育的分子过程仍然相对未知。通过仔细检查那些被认为与这些屏障的形成有关的基因突变的植物，该项目团队希望建立一个模型，解释这些屏障形成的机制，以及它们在根系吸收水分和养分方面的功能，以及它们在防止病原体感染根系方面的作用。全球粮食安全是具有重大国际意义的问题。预计到2050年，世界人口将达到90亿，这将使世界对谷物的需求至少增加10亿吨，比目前的水平增加50%。在实现这一增长的同时，预计由于气候变化导致目前种植作物的世界许多地区降水减少，全球作物产量将出现下降。根是植物从土壤中吸收水分和矿质养分所需的中心器官。为了应对未来40年全球作物产量增长50%的挑战，需要提高植物对水分和矿物质养分的吸收效率，以推动粮食产量的增长。更好地了解根系功能背后的机制，对于培育具有改良根系系统的作物至关重要，而改良根系系统是实现提高生产力以确保全球粮食安全所必需的。

Plant roots perform the critical function of controlling the uptake of water and essential mineral nutrients from the soil. This function is required by all land plants for their normal growth and development. Specialized cells in the root called the endodermis play a key role in controlling the transport of water and mineral nutrients from the roots to the leaves. These specialized cells have important cell wall modifications that acts as barriers to block the uncontrolled entry of water and mineral nutrients into the plant. Despite the importance of these barriers the molecular processes that control their development remain relatively unknown. By closely inspecting plants that contain mutations in genes thought to be involved in the development of these barriers the project team hopes to build a model that explains the mechanisms involved in the development of these barriers along with their function in water and nutrient uptake by the root as well as their role in preventing infection of roots by pathogens. Global food security is an issue of major international significance. The human population is predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050, increasing world demand for cereal by at least 1,000 million tons, a 50% increase on current levels. This increase needs to be achieved against a predicted decline in global crop production due to climate change causing reduced precipitation in many parts of the world where crops are currently grown. The root is the central plant organ required for water and mineral nutrient uptake from the soil by plants. More efficient water and mineral nutrient uptake by plants is needed to drive the increasing food production required to meet the challenge of increasing global crop production by 50% over the next 40 years. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying root function will be central to the development of crops with the improved root systems needed to achieve such increased productivity to ensure global food security.