Xu Hua, Zheng Zhigang, Ma Lei, Zhang Qingyun, Jin Lian, Zhang Ke, Zou Junjie, Wuriyanghan Hada, Xu Miaoyun
Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Key Laboratory of Forage and Endemic Crop Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China.
Plants (Basel). 2024 Dec 17;13(24):3525. doi: 10.3390/plants13243525.
Soil compaction poses a significant challenge in modern agriculture, as it constrains root development and hinders crop growth. The increasing evidence indicated that various phytohormones collaborate in distinct root zones to regulate root growth in compacted soils. However, the study of root development in maize under such conditions has been relatively limited. Here, we identified that the gene, belonging to the SPL transcription factor family, plays a crucial and positive role in regulating root development in the compacted soil. Specifically, the overexpression of resulted in significantly less inhibition of root growth than the wild-type plants when subjected to soil compaction. Histological analysis revealed that the capacity for root growth in compacted soil is closely associated with the development of the root cap. Further exploration demonstrated that modulates root growth through regulating ethylene signaling. Our findings underscored that expression level is induced by soil compaction and then enhances root penetration by regulating root cap and development, thereby enabling roots to thrive better in the compacted soil environment.
土壤压实是现代农业面临的一项重大挑战，因为它会限制根系发育并阻碍作物生长。越来越多的证据表明，多种植物激素在不同的根区协同作用，以调节压实土壤中的根系生长。然而，在这种条件下对玉米根系发育的研究相对有限。在这里，我们发现属于SPL转录因子家族的基因在调节压实土壤中的根系发育中起着关键的积极作用。具体而言，在土壤压实条件下，该基因的过表达导致根系生长受到的抑制明显小于野生型植株。组织学分析表明，压实土壤中根系生长的能力与根冠的发育密切相关。进一步的研究表明，该基因通过调节乙烯信号来调节根系生长。我们的研究结果强调，土壤压实会诱导该基因的表达水平，然后通过调节根冠和发育来增强根系穿透力，从而使根系能够在压实的土壤环境中更好地生长。
