Root Tropisms: New Insights Leading the Growth Direction of the Hidden Half

Tropisms are essential responses of plants, orienting growth according to a wide range of stimuli. Recently, considerable attention has been paid to root tropisms, not only to improve cultivation systems, such as those developed for plant-based life support systems for future space programs, but als...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plants (Basel) 2021-01, Vol.10 (2), p.220
Main Authors: Izzo, Luigi Gennaro, Aronne, Giovanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
auxin
Cholodny–Went
directional growth
Gravitropism
Investigations
Laboratories
Light
Microgravity
Nutrient uptake
Perceptions
Physiology
Plant growth
root bending
Sensors
Signal transduction
Space programs
statoliths
tropistic stimuli
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Summary:Tropisms are essential responses of plants, orienting growth according to a wide range of stimuli. Recently, considerable attention has been paid to root tropisms, not only to improve cultivation systems, such as those developed for plant-based life support systems for future space programs, but also to increase the efficiency of root apparatus in water and nutrient uptake in crops on Earth. To date, the Cholodny-Went theory of differential auxin distribution remains the principal tropistic mechanism, but recent findings suggest that it is not generally applicable to all root tropisms, and new molecular pathways are under discussion. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms and functions underlying root tropisms is needed. Contributions to this special issue aimed to embrace reviews and research articles that deepen molecular, physiological, and anatomical processes orchestrating root tropisms from perception of the stimulus to bending. The new insights will help in elucidating plant-environment interactions, providing potential applications to improve plant growth on Earth and in space where microgravity diminishes or nullifies the gravitropism dominance.
ISSN:2223-7747
2223-7747
DOI:10.3390/plants10020220