Nicolaus von Wirén

Molecular Plant Nutrition,

Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK)

hosted by Wolfgang Busch

Abstract:

Root growth and development are of outstanding importance for the adaptation of plants to the environment. The shape and extension of the root system affect the plant’s ability to acquire water and nutrients, especially when plants grow under adverse soil conditions. In order to cope with nutrient limitations, plants have evolved mechanisms to monitor the availability of nutrients and to integrate this information into developmental pathways that regulate the spatial arrangement of roots as described by the root system architecture (RSA). Recent work from several labs has shown that roots can sense the deficiency or heterogeneous availability of some nutrients, thereby leading to modifications in RSA. This systemic and local regulation of root system architecture is nutrient-specific, suggesting that nutrients interfere with the root developmental program at specific steps. This talk highlights some of the molecular players underlying the sensing or transduction of nutrient signals and describes how systemic and local signals can be integrated to modify the architecture of root systems.