Root Structure Research Articles

Research on High-Throughput Crop Root Phenotype 3D Reconstruction Using X-ray CT in 5G Era

Currently, the three-dimensional detection of plant root structure is one of the core issues in studies on plant root phenotype. Manual measurement methods are not only cumbersome but also have poor reliability and damage the root. Among many solutions, X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) can help us observe the plant root structure in a three-dimensional and non-destructive form under the condition of underground soil in situ. Therefore, this paper proposes a high-throughput method and process for plant three-dimensional root phenotype and reconstruction based on X-ray CT technology. Firstly, this paper proposes a high-throughput transmission for the root phenotyping and utilizing the imaging technique to extract the root characteristics; then, the study adopts a moving cube algorithm to reconstruct the 3D (three-dimensional) root. Finally, this research simulates the proposed algorithm, and the simulation results show that the presented method in this paper works well.

Spatial Structure within Root Systems Moderates Stability of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Mutualism and Plant-Soil Feedbacks.

AbstractThe persistence of mutualisms is paradoxical, as there are fitness incentives for exploitation. This is particularly true for plant-microbe mutualisms like arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), which are promiscuously horizontally transmitted. Preferential allocation by hosts to the best mutualist can stabilize horizontal mutualisms; however, preferential allocation is imperfect, with its fidelity likely depending on the spatial structure of symbionts in plant roots. In this study we tested AM mutualisms' dependence on two dimensions of spatial structure-the initial spatial association of fungi and the ease of fungal dispersal-through three complementary experiments. We found that fitness of the beneficial AM fungus increased when fungi were initially separate, while initial spatial mixing benefited the fitness of the nonbeneficial fungus. These effects were strongest when dispersal was limited and hosts could discriminate. Additionally, we found that changes in AM fungal proportional abundance induced by spatial structure in roots of a preferentially allocating host produced positive feedbacks on plant growth, showing that interactions between spatial structure and host choice can determine the direction of plant-soil feedbacks. Our results suggest that symbiont spatial structure within plant roots may act as an important modifier of plant preferential allocation and the dynamics of mycorrhizal mutualisms, with potentially cascading effects on plant-plant interactions.

Comparative analysis of root anatomical structure, chemical components and differentially expressed genes between early bolting and unbolting in Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn

Early bolting of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn severely affects its quality. In this study, we compared with the root structure of P. praeruptorum and its four coumarins content between early bolting (CT) and unbolting (WT) at different growth stages. We found that the proportion of area outside the root cambium (Rs) was higher in the WT plants than in the CT plants and correlated positively with the proximity to the root tip. Furthermore, the content of all four coumarins was also higher in the WT plants relative to the CT plants. In addition, we identified 15,524 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two plant varieties. 11 DEGs are involved in the photoperiod and gibberellin pathways that regulate early bolting and 24 genes involved in coumarins biosynthesis were also identified. Nevertheless, early bolting of P. praeruptorum does affect its quality formation, and further studies are needed to confirm its mechanism.

Semito-Hamitic or Afro-Asiatic consonantism and lexicon: Episodes of a comparative research I (Part 1: The long century of Semito-Hamitology until the middle of the 20th century)

A retrospective account on past comparative research on Afro-Asiatic (AA) or Semito-Hamitic / Hamito-Semitic (SH/HS, resp.) phonology (first of all consonantism, also root structure) and lexicon, segmented into episodes according to diverse trends (often overlapping in time) is now under way and will be presented part by part in a series of papers. The present paper contains the first ever direction of this research, labelled “Semito-Hamitology” covering studies seeking, in their conception, the “African”, i.e. “Hamitic” kinship of Semitic, without a permanent communis opinio over the whole century of this ‘trend’ (better: amalgamate era) regarding the limits of the family.

Adaptability of Common Coastal Wetland Plant Populations to Future Sea Level Rise

An accelerating rate of sea level rise (SLR) is causing huge inundation pressure on coastal wetlands worldwide. Vegetation of coastal wetlands plays a key role in stabilizing the coast and accreting sediment in order to mitigate the negative impact of SLR. The ability to accrete sediment is influenced by individual species traits; however, there are insufficient information and indicators to identify differences in the adaptability of various coastal vegetations to SLR at a regional or global scale. Here, the potential adaptation of 27 plant populations in coastal wetlands subject to SLR was evaluated using a compiled global dataset and a marsh equilibrium model. Sediment accretion efficiency differed among plant populations, but most coastal marsh populations and a few mangrove populations had relatively high accretion rates; habitats with high accretion rates will have a better potential to deal with the threat of SLR. These results showed that latitude and efficiency shared a nonlinear relationship, and plant stem density and root structure were among the important factors that influenced the efficiency. Fibrous root plant populations had a greater sediment accretion efficiency than tap root plant populations, and perennial populations had a greater sediment accretion efficiency than annual plant populations. These findings can provide key parameters relating to the sediment accretion efficiency of hydrological and geomorphic models on a global scale. This study offers some novel insights into the dynamic changes in coastal wetlands following SLR that will be particularly useful in devising appropriate strategies for the protection and management of coastal wetlands.

Attachment systems in overdenture therapy: a review.

Overdenture conventionally is a partial or complete denture prosthesis constructed over existing teeth or root structure. Attachments are the linchpins of an overdenture. Based on the clinical situation there are various attachment systems that are used accordingly. It is important that the clinician knows well about the attachment system and the amount of mechanical load that the clinical situation is going to deliver on the system. This article reviews the various attachment systems available in the market and their descriptions, advantages and disadvantages.

Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial Community Structures in the Lateral Root of Sugar Beet Grown in an Andosol Field in Japan.

To investigate functional plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in sugar beet, seasonal shifts in bacterial community structures in the lateral roots of sugar beet were examined using amplicon sequencing ana-lyses of the 16S rRNA gene. Shannon and Simpson indexes significantly increased between June and July, but did not significantly differ between July and subsequent months (August and September). A weighted UniFrac principal coordinate ana-lysis grouped bacterial samples into four clusters along with PC1 (43.8%), corresponding to the four sampling months in the order of sampling dates. Taxonomic ana-lyses revealed that bacterial diversity in the lateral roots was exclusively dominated by three phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria) in all samples examined. At the lower taxonomic levels, the dominant taxa were roughly classified into three groups. Therefore, the relative abundances of seven dominant genera (Janthinobacterium, Kribbella, Pedobacter, Rhodanobacter, Sphingobium, Sphingopyxis, and Streptomyces) were the highest in June and gradually decreased as sugar beet grew. The relative abundances of eight taxa (Bradyrhizobiaceae, Caulobacteraceae, Chitinophagaceae, Novosphingobium, Phyllobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Rhizobiaceae, and Sphingomonas) were mainly high in July and/or August. The relative abundances of six taxa (unclassified Comamonadaceae, Cytophagaceae, unclassified Gammaproteobacteria, Haliangiaceae, unclassified Myxococcales, and Sinobacteraceae) were the highest in September. Among the dominant taxa, 12 genera (Amycolatopsis, Bradyrhizobium, Caulobacter, Devosia, Flavobacterium, Janthinobacterium, Kribbella, Kutzneria, Pedobacter, Rhizobium, Rhodanobacter, and Steroidobacter) were considered to be candidate groups of plant growth-promoting bacteria based on their previously reported beneficial traits as biopesticides and/or biofertilizers.

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in asphalt post-mining land in Buton Island, Indonesia

Abstract. Tuheteru FD, Husna, Albasri, Effendy HM, Arif A, Basrudin, Tuheteru EJ, Mulyono S, Irianto RSB. 2022. Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in asphalt post-mining land in Buton Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 6327-6334. Studies on the presence and diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) on overburden (OB) and asphalt post-mining areas in Buton Island are still limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence and diversity of AMF on OB and asphalt post-mining stockpiles in Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi Province. The sampling of soil and roots of successional plants was carried out at eight post-mining sites at the IUP Kabungka (Pasarwajo) (6 sites) PT. WIKA Aspal and IUP Lawele (2 sites), PT. WIKA Bitumen. The AMF spores were isolated using the wet filter pour method, followed by the identification of AMF which was done by observing the morphology of AMF spores. The results showed that all successional plants were in symbiosis with AMF, which was indicated by the existence of AMF structure in plant roots with the percentage of AMF colonization ranging from 5 - 95%. The number of spores per 50 g ranged from 1 to 9 spores. A total of 9 AMF species were found to belong to five genera, i.e., Claroideoglomus, Haloatospora, Glomus, Gigaspora, and Cetraspora from three families. Claroideoglomus claroideum was found to be the most dominant species isolated with the high occurrence and the highest Importance and Shannon-Wiener Diversity Indices followed by Haloatospora cf. pansihalos, Glomus sp. 5, and Glomus sp. 4. This study also showed that the AMF diversity index differed among locations. The presence of AMF can accelerate the emergence and development of adaptive plants on post-asphalt mining land in Buton Island.

Exploring the Plant Nematode Interaction of Meloidogyne Incognita under Okra Ecosystem

Southern root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita is an important nematode genus infesting okra growing tracts of Tamil Nadu. The present study was carried out to understand the cytological changes that occur during Meloidogyne incognita interaction with okra roots by employing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results exhibited the explicit changes in cellular structures of healthy and nematode-infested roots. The healthy roots possessed normal cell size for metaxylem, protoxylem, pith and cortex region nevertheless nematode infested roots revealed coalesced cellular structures. Root cell wall thickening, cell wall ingrowth, and starch granule accumulates of varying diameter were also observed in M. incognita infested okra roots, which were found to be the factors responsible for producing above ground symptoms during host-nematode interaction. Longitudinal imaging of nematode infested roots showed the nematode entry points of varying diameter along with adhered juveniles Juveniles on root topography and this was in contrast in M. incognita infested okra roots. Comparatively, these structures were absent in healthy roots.

Some properties for 2-variable modified partially degenerate Hermite (MPDH) polynomials derived from differential equations and their zeros distributions

<abstract><p>The 2-variable modified partially degenerate Hermite (MPDH) polynomials are the subject of our study in this paper. We found basic properties of these polynomials and obtained several types of differential equations related to MPDH polynomials. Based on the MPDH polynomials, we looked at the structures of the approximation roots for a particular polynomial and checked the values of the approximate roots. Further, we presented some conjectures for MPDH polynomials.</p></abstract>

Slice-Relation-Clustering Framework via Horizontal Angle Information for 3-D Tree Roots Reconstruction

Tree root system 3D reconstruction and spatial distribution analysis are prevalent aspects of tree root investigation using ground penetrating radar (GPR). Precedent 3D reconstruction methods are found to be effective in mapping simple, smooth root structures. However, repetitive and dense B-scans are needed, otherwise, the retrieved roots’ spatial distribution and growth extension trend accuracy would deteriorate with the increase in the root systems’ complexity. To address these issues, this paper, for the first time, explores the possibility of integrating the horizontal angle information of the tree roots and a slice-relation-clustering (SRC) algorithm to reconstruct the complex tree root systems in a 3D manner. The proposed framework, which takes the roots’ horizontal angle as an analyzing condition instead of biological properties that are similar among neighboring branches used in existing methods, clusters pre-processed and focused 2D reflection patterns from the same single root together. The whole roots system is the combination of every single root cluster. Real measurement results show that our proposed method achieves a high efficiency in accurate root system reconstruction.

Osmotic characteristics of water retention structures of Bursera microphylla in relation to soil salinity

With a worldwide increase in soil salinity, as well as the climate crisis raising global temperatures, it is important to understand the effects of soil salinity on plant survival. One way to understand how plants may evolve to survive in these xeric desert environments is to gain a further understanding of existing halophytic (live in saline environments) and/or xerophytic (live in dry, arid environments) plants. Bursera microphylla in particular is quite interesting because it is both a halophyte and a xerophyte. One reason it is able to survive in dry environments is due to its bulbs at the base of the trunk and major limbs of the tree, which have been shown to store water during droughts. To facilitate mineral uptake, plants use ATP to transport NaCl ions into the plant, which facilitates water uptake. Because observed field conditions in the Baja California Peninsula were extremely xeric, most plants there have distinct evolutionary traits to facilitate water storage or retention. The Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla) gets its name from the abnormal proportions of the base of its stem, which is much wider than much of the tree, and studies show that this disproportionately wide stem can store water for use during times of drought, which are common in the Baja California Peninsula. Our hypothesis was that sodium chloride was taken up through the plant’s root structure to facilitate this water transportation, and that this sodium chloride accumulation was directly proportional to the soil salinity. We tested this hypothesis via light microscopy of plant tissues to observe cell tonicity under different concentrations of saline solution. soil salinity was measured using saturated extraction. The results of this experiment show that most cells within the “bulb” structures were isotonic at a concentration approximately twice as high as that of root tissue and ambient soil salinity, therefore supporting the presented hypothesis.

On the PIE root-structure constraint prohibiting repeated consonants

This paper confronts and resolves the problem of apparent exceptions to the constraint prohibiting the co-occurrence of identical consonants in both syllable margins of the PIE root: schematically, †… Ci … E … Ci …, where † indicates the prohibition of the root structure following it, Ci = the identical consonant, E = the ablauting vowel, and … = optional additional consonants in the syllable margins. In advancement of previous work addressing this problem — most recently exemplified in Cooper (2009), Corbeau (2013) and Weiss (2020) — it eliminates several potential exceptions to the constraint and proposes that, once a cross-linguistic absence-of-contrast principle is taken into account which determines the relation of laryngeal features (glottalization, aspiration, and voicing) to the syllable margins that contain them, no clear-cut exceptions remain.

Intangible Outcomes

Human life – and therefore the scope of human goals – includes dimensions that are both visible and countable (e.g., money, weight, attendance or tested proficiency) as well the invisible and intangible (e.g., hope, trust, faith, love, joy, peace). Furthermore, the visible and tangible aspects of life are intrinsically connected to and dependent on the invisible and intangible aspects - much as the visible branches and fruit of a tree are connected to and dependent on an underlying and hidden root structure. While the importance of intangibles can be understood intuitively, it can also be illustrated: 73% of all chartable giving in the U.S. goes to organizations that are explicitly religious, and 118,280 nonprofit organizations are so strongly identified with the intangibles of hope, trust, faith, love, joy, peace that they included one of these words in their name. While the intangible realities of human life are explicitly relevant to a large proportion of organizations we seek to serve, it is essentially ignored by current evaluation practice: only 10 articles within the American Journal of Evaluation, New Directions in Evaluation and Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation included even minimal reference to the most common intangibles. New evaluation theory and methodology to address this gap will be needed, and cross-disciplinary exploration with psychology, philosophy and sociology should guide this development. In the meantime, useful questions about intangibles can be drawn from the AEA guiding principles and addressing these can provide a useful starting point for evaluators seeking to consider intangibles within their evaluations.

Graphene oxide affected root growth, anatomy, and nutrient uptake in alfalfa

The increasing application of carbon nanomaterials has resulted in their inevitable release into the environment. Their toxic effects on plant roots require careful investigation. In the present study, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was exposed to graphene oxide (GO) at levels of 0.2 %, 0.4 %, and 0.6 % (w/w) in potting soil. This study aims to better understand the impact of GO on the root growth, structure, and physiology of alfalfa in the soil matrix. The results demonstrated that GO significantly affected the development and structure of alfalfa roots, and the effect varied with GO level. The highest level of GO (0.6 %) reduced the root length, diameter, volume, dry weight, number of lateral roots, and root activity by 36.1 %, 31.3 %, 60.0 %, 89.6 %, 55.8 %, and 72.3 % (p < 0.05), respectively, and the vascular cylinder diameter, periderm thickness, vessel diameter, and phellem thickness decreased by 51.5 %, 50.7 %, 80.9 %, and 49.1 % (p < 0.05), respectively. These observations might be associated with GO-induced oxidative stress, which was indicated by the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, high GO levels (0.4 % and 0.6 %) inhibited the uptake of N, P, K, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mo, Si, and B in roots. Our findings indicate that GO at high levels has a negative impact on root growth and development by inducing oxidative stress, structural impairment, and nutritional imbalance. Careful soil GO management should be emphasized.

Using machine learning enabled phenotyping to characterize nodulation in three early vegetative stages in soybean.

The symbiotic relationship between soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)] roots and bacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) lead to the development of nodules, important legume root structures where atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is fixed into bio-available ammonia (NH3) for plant growth and development. With the recent development of the Soybean Nodule Acquisition Pipeline (SNAP), nodules can more easily be quantified and evaluated for genetic diversity and growth patterns across unique soybean root system architectures. We explored six diverse soybean genotypes across three field year combinations in three early vegetative stages of development and report the unique relationships between soybean nodules in the taproot and non-taproot growth zones of diverse root system architectures of these genotypes. We found unique growth patterns in the nodules of taproots showing genotypic differences in how nodules grew in count, size, and total nodule area per genotype compared to non-taproot nodules. We propose that nodulation should be defined as a function of both nodule count and individual nodule area resulting in a total nodule area per root or growth regions of the root. We also report on the relationships between the nodules and total nitrogen in the seed at maturity, finding a strong correlation between the taproot nodules and final seed nitrogen at maturity. The applications of these findings could lead to an enhanced understanding of the plant-Bradyrhizobium relationship and exploring these relationships could lead to leveraging greater nitrogen use efficiency and nodulation carbon to nitrogen production efficiency across the soybean germplasm.

Women in public cultural organizations and their professional paths strategies: A rhizomatic approach

AbstractThe aim of this article is to explore the rhizomatic nature of the professional development strategies used by the female workforce of public cultural organizations. The research problem of this study are (1) the challenges of women who work in public cultural organizations and (2) ways of dealing with them by women. The empirical material was collected between January 2021 and January 2022 through 20 in‐depth interviews with female managers of public cultural organizations in Poland. The findings are presented in three sections: (1) specificity of work in culture, (2) twists and configurations on the way to grow, and (3) communities. In this way, it was possible to capture the specific strategies used by the female workforce for the development of their professional paths. To illustrate the complexity of these strategies, the concept of Rhizome—a root structure that grows in unpredictable and manifold directions—developed by Deleuze and Guattari was used. It also highlighted the fact that the professional development strategies used by women develop in a strong relationship with their environment and constantly evolve according to the needs of the women who decide to undertake them. The results of the research illustrate the impact of the far‐reaching gendered nature of work in cultural organizations on the professional development of women in this sector. Moreover, this reveals that to achieve their professional ambitions, women in cultural organizations co‐create complex informal organizational constructs, rhizome‐like in structure, which help women cope with the challenges that arise along their professional paths. These findings contribute to the theory of gendered organizations and the knowledge of gender inequality in cultural organizations.

Biomimetic three-layer hierarchical scaffolds for efficient water management and cell recruitment

Taking inspiration from the structures of roots, stems and leaves of trees in nature, a biomimetic three-layered scaffold was designed for efficient water management and cell recruitment. Using polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as raw materials, radially oriented nanofiber films and multistage adjustable nanofiber films were prepared through electrospinning technology as the base skin-friendly layer (roots) and middle unidirectional moisture conductive material (stems), the porous polyurethane foam was integrated as the outer moisturizing layer (leaves). Among which, radially oriented nanofiber films could promote the directional migration of fibroblasts and induce cell morphological changes. For the spatially hierarchically nanofiber films, the unidirectional transport of liquid was effectively realized. While the porous polyurethane foam membrane could absorb 9 times its weight in biofluid and retain moisture for up to 10 h. As a result, the biomimetic three-layered scaffolds with different structures can promote wound epithelization and drain biofluid while avoiding wound inflammation caused by excessive biofluid, which is expected to be applied in the field of skin wounds.

Understanding the effects of root structure on the mechanical behaviour of engineered plant root materials

Plant root growth can be altered by introducing obstacles in the path of growth. This principle is used in design to produce planar grid structures composed of interweaving roots. The Engineered Plant Root Materials (EPRMs) grown with this method have the potential to serve as environmentally sensitive alternatives for conventional materials, but their applications are delimited by their material properties. To bridge the gap in the wider application of these materials, the role of plant root structure and an agar-agar matrix are explored in relation to the mechanical properties of the EPRMs. Tensile tests were performed on five root configurations, ranging from single roots to grids of varying sizes. Heterogeneities in each configuration suggest poor load distribution throughout the structure. Agar-agar was introduced as a biopolymer matrix to improve load distribution and tensile properties. Digital microscopy at the intersection of grid cells suggests a correlation between cell size, root tip density, and material strength. The largest cell size (2 cm) had the highest root tip density and yield strength (0.568 ± 0.181 roots/mm2 and 0.234 ± 0.018 MPa, respectively), whereas the structure with the least root tips (1 cm) was 31 % weaker.

Rice OsCASP1 orchestrates Casparian strip formation and suberin deposition in small lateral roots to maintain nutrient homeostasis.

Arabidopsis Casparian strip membrane domain proteins (CASPs) form a transmembrane scaffold to recruit lignin biosynthetic enzymes for Casparian strip (CS) formation. Rice is a semi-aquatic plant with a more complex root structure than Arabidopsis to adapt its growing conditions, where the different deposition of lignin and suberin is crucial for adaptive responses. Here, we observed the structure of rice primary and small lateral roots (SLRs), particularly the deposition patterns of lignin and suberin in wild type and Oscasp1 mutants. We found that the appearance time and structure of CS in the roots of rice are different from those of Arabidopsis and observed suberin deposition in the sclerenchyma in wild type roots. Rice CASP1 is highly similar to AtCASPs, but its expression is concentrated in SLR tips and can be induced by salt stress especially in the steles. The loss of OsCASP1 function alters the expression of the genes involved in suberin biosynthesis and the deposition of suberin in the endodermis and sclerenchyma and leads to delayed CS formation and uneven lignin deposition in SLRs. These different depositions may alter nutrient uptake, resulting in ion imbalance in plant, withered leaves, fewer tillers, and reduced tolerance to salt stress. Our findings suggest that OsCASP1 could play an important role in nutrient homeostasis and adaptation to the growth environment.