Abstract
Nutrient uptake is critical for crop growth and is determined by root foraging in soil. Growth and branching of roots lead to effective root placement to acquire nutrients, but relatively little is known about absorption of nutrients at the root surface from the soil solution. This knowledge gap could be alleviated by understanding sources of genetic variation for short-term nutrient uptake on a root length basis. A modular platform called RhizoFlux was developed for high-throughput phenotyping of multiple ion-uptake rates in maize (Zea mays L.). Using this system, uptake rates were characterized for the crop macronutrients nitrate, ammonium, potassium, phosphate, and sulfate among the Nested Association Mapping (NAM) population founder lines. The data revealed substantial genetic variation for multiple ion-uptake rates in maize. Interestingly, specific nutrient uptake rates (nutrient uptake rate per length of root) were found to be both heritable and distinct from total uptake and plant size. The specific uptake rates of each nutrient were positively correlated with one another and with specific root respiration (root respiration rate per length of root), indicating that uptake is governed by shared mechanisms. We selected maize lines with high and low specific uptake rates and performed an RNA-seq analysis, which identified key regulatory components involved in nutrient uptake. The high-throughput multiple ion-uptake kinetics pipeline will help further our understanding of nutrient uptake, parameterize holistic plant models, and identify breeding targets for crops with more efficient nutrient acquisition.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
RhizoFlux provides high-throughput phenotyping of multiple ion uptake rates in maize.
- Outcome
- multiple ion-uptake ratese0
Zea maysNot reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A modular platform called RhizoFlux was developed for high-throughput phenotyping of multiple ion-uptake rates in maize (Zea mays L.).”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize showed substantial genetic variation in multiple ion uptake rates.
- Outcome
- multiple ion-uptake ratese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The data revealed substantial genetic variation for multiple ion-uptake rates in maize.”
Claim · model-written summary
Specific nutrient uptake rates were heritable and distinct from total uptake and plant size.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“specific nutrient uptake rates (nutrient uptake rate per length of root) were found to be both heritable and distinct from total uptake and plant size.”
t0“in maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Specific uptake rates of each nutrient correlated positively with one another.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The specific uptake rates of each nutrient were positively correlated with one another and with specific root respiration (root respiration rate per length of root)”
t0“in maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Specific nutrient uptake rates correlated positively with specific root respiration.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The specific uptake rates of each nutrient were positively correlated with one another and with specific root respiration (root respiration rate per length of root)”
t0“in maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
RNA-seq identified regulatory components involved in nutrient uptake.
- Outcome
- key regulatory components involved in nutrient uptakee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“an RNA-seq analysis, which identified key regulatory components involved in nutrient uptake.”
t0“in maize (Zea mays L.)”