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Plant roots redesign the rhizosphere to alter the three‐dimensional physical architecture and water dynamics
Author(s) -
Rabbi Sheikh M. F.,
Tighe Matthew K.,
Flavel Richard J.,
Kaiser Brent N.,
Guppy Chris N.,
Zhang Xiaoxian,
Young Iain M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.15213
Subject(s) - mucilage , rhizosphere , root hair , soil water , microscale chemistry , biology , botany , drought tolerance , transpiration , agronomy , soil science , environmental science , mathematics , biochemistry , genetics , mathematics education , bacteria , gene , photosynthesis
Summary The mechanisms controlling the genesis of rhizosheaths are not well understood, despite their importance in controlling the flux of nutrients and water from soil to root. Here, we examine the development of rhizosheaths from drought‐tolerant and drought‐sensitive chickpea varieties; focusing on the three‐dimensional characterization of the pore volume (> 16 μm voxel spatial resolution) obtained from X‐ray microtomography, along with the characterization of mucilage and root hairs, and water sorption. We observe that drought‐tolerant plants generate a larger diameter root, and a greater and more porous mass of rhizosheath, which also has a significantly increased water sorptivity, as compared with bulk soil. Using lattice Boltzmann simulations of soil permeability, we find that the root activity of both cultivars creates an anisotropic structure in the rhizosphere, in that its ability to conduct water in the radial direction is significantly higher than in the axial direction, especially in the drought‐tolerant cultivar. We suggest that significant differences in rhizosheath architectures are sourced not only by changes in structure of the volumes, but also from root mucilage, and further suggest that breeding for rhizosheath architectures and function may be a potential future avenue for better designing crops in a changing environment.