Root traits associated with improved nutrient use efficiency
Background
Within the plant kingdom a wide variety of mechanisms have evolved to facilitate the efficient mobilization and extraction of mineral nutrients from the soil. However, the recovery of nitrogenous fertilizers by crop plants is usually very poor, with up to 70% of the applied N being wasted.
Because conventional breeding programs have generally not focused on root traits, there should be considerable scope for improving traits that enhance nutrient capture.
We are using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate the genetic control of root development, and in particular the signalling mechanisms that enable root architecture to respond to variations in the external nutrient supply.
Publications
- Zhang HM, Forde BG (1998) An Arabidopsis MADS box gene that controls nutrient-induced changes in root architecture. Science 279, 407-409
- Remans T, Pervent M, Filleur S, Diatloff E, Mounier E, Tillard P, Forde BG, Gojon A (2006) The Arabidopsis NRT1.1 transporter participates in the signaling pathway triggering root colonization of nitrate-rich patches. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 19206-19211
- Walch-Liu P, Forde BG (2008) Nitrate signalling mediated by the NRT1.1 nitrate transporter antagonises L-glutamate-induced changes in root architecture. Plant J. 54, 820-828
- Zhang HM, Jennings A, Barlow PW, Forde BG (1999) Dual pathways for regulation of root branching by nitrate. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 6529-6534