Root hydraulic properties: An exploration of their variability across scales

Baca Cabrera, Juan C.; Vanderborght, Jan; Couvreur, Valentin; Behrend, Dominik; Gaiser, Thomas; Nguyen, Thuy Huu; Lobet, Guillaume

doi:10.1002/pld3.582

Cited by 5 publications

References 93 publications

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Roots to the rescue: how plants harness hydraulic redistribution to survive drought across contrasting soil textures

Sha,

Cai,

Liu

et al. 2024

Adv. Biotechnol.

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Hydraulic redistribution (HR) is a critical ecological process whereby plant roots transfer water from wetter to drier soil layers, significantly impacting soil moisture dynamics and plant water and nutrient uptake. Yet a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism triggering HR and its influencing factors remains elusive. Here, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to discuss the influence of soil conditions and plant species characteristics on HR occurrence. The threshold of HR ranges from -1.80 to -0.05 MPa, with soil hydraulic conductivity between 1.51 × 10–13 and 6.53 × 10–5 cm s−1 when HR occurs. HR is influenced by various factors. Soil texture plays a pivotal role, with loamy soils promoting HR more effectively than sandy and clay soils. Plant root structure and hydraulic conductivity significantly influence HR occurrence, where HR is more prevalent in deep-rooted tree species with larger root canal diameters and dimorphic roots. Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi enhance HR by expanding root uptake area, reducing water transport distances and improving soil structure. However, adverse soil conditions, inadequate plant physiological regulatory capacity, or methodological limitations can hinder HR detection. The findings highlight that HR is more likely to occur where there is a significant water potential gradient, appropriate root-soil contact, and low nocturnal transpiration. Plants can effectively replenish the water in dry root systems under drought conditions by HR by increasing the water potential of root systems to maintain normal physiological functions. Our study identifies key factors influencing HR, offering a comprehensive framework for future research aimed at improving plant drought resistance and refining ecohydrological models.

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Roots to the rescue: how plants harness hydraulic redistribution to survive drought across contrasting soil textures

Sha,

Cai,

Liu

et al. 2024

Adv. Biotechnol.

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Root system architecture reorganization under decreasing soil phosphorus lowers root system conductance of Zea mays

Bauer,

Baker,

Giraud

et al. 2024

Annals of Botany

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Background and Aims The global supply of phosphorus is decreasing. At the same time, climate change reduces the availability of water in most regions of the world. Insights on how decreasing phosphorus availability influences plant architecture are crucial to understanding its influence on plant functional properties, such as the root system’s water uptake capacity. Methods In this study, we investigated the structural and functional responses of Zea mays to varying phosphorus fertilization levels focusing especially on the root system’s conductance. A rhizotron experiment with soils ranging from severe phosphorus deficiency to sufficiency was conducted. We measured the architectural parameters of the whole plant and combined them with root hydraulic properties to simulate time-dependent root system conductance of growing plants under different phosphorus levels. Key Results We observed changes in the root system architecture, characterised by decreasing crown root elongation and reduced axial root radii with declining phosphorus availability. Modeling revealed that only plants with optimal phosphorus availability sustained a high root system conductance, while all other phosphorus levels led to a significantly lower root system conductance, both under light and severe phosphorus deficiency. Conclusion We postulate that phosphorus deficiency decreases root system conductance, which could mitigate drought conditions through a more conservative water use strategy, but ultimately reduces biomass and impairs root development and overall water uptake capacity. Our results also highlight that the organisation of the root system, rather than its overall size, is critical for estimating important root functions.

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Root System Architecture Reorganization Under Decreasing Soil Phosphorus Lowers Root System Conductance ofZea mays

Bauer,

Baker,

Giraud

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The global supply of phosphorus is decreasing. At the same time, climate change reduces the water availability in most regions of the world. Insights on how decreasing phosphorus availability influences plant architecture is crucial to understand its influence on plant functional properties, such as the root system’s water uptake capacity. In this study we investigated the structural and functional responses ofZea maysto varying phosphorus fertilization levels focusing especially on the root system’s conductance. A rhizotron experiment with soils ranging from severe phosphorus deficiency to sufficiency was conducted. We measured architectural parameters of the whole plant and combined them with root hydraulic properties to simulate time-dependent root system conductance of growing plants under different phosphorus levels. We observed changes of the root system architecture, characterized by decreasing crown root elongation and reduced axial root radii with declining phosphorus availability. Modeling revealed that only plants with optimal phosphorus availability sustained a high root system conductance, while all other phosphorus levels led to a significantly lower root system conductance, both under light and severe phosphorus deficiency. We postulate that phosphorus deficiency initially enhances root system function for drought mitigation but eventually reduce biomass and impairs root development and water uptake in prolonged or severe cases of drought. Our results also highlight the fact that root system organization, rather than its total size, is critical to estimate important root functions.

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Root hydraulic properties: An exploration of their variability across scales

Cited by 5 publications

References 93 publications

Roots to the rescue: how plants harness hydraulic redistribution to survive drought across contrasting soil textures

Roots to the rescue: how plants harness hydraulic redistribution to survive drought across contrasting soil textures

Root system architecture reorganization under decreasing soil phosphorus lowers root system conductance of Zea mays

Root System Architecture Reorganization Under Decreasing Soil Phosphorus Lowers Root System Conductance ofZea mays

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