Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm
Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips, leading to the patterning of new root branches toward available water in a process called hydropatterning. Little is known about hydropatterning behavior and its genetic basis in crop plants. Here, we developed an assay to measure hydropatterning in maize and revealed substantial differences between tropical/subtropical and temperate maize breeding germplasm that likely resulted from divergent selection. Genetic analysis of hydropatterning confirmed the regulatory role of auxin and revealed that the gaseous hormone ethylene locally inhibits root branching from air-exposed tissues. Our results demonstrate how distinct signaling pathways translate spatial patterns of water availability to developmental programs that determine root architecture.
Authors
- Patrick S. Schnable (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9169-5204)
- Craig J. Sturrock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5333-8502)
- Siri Birkeland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8104-8537)
- Joseph J. Kieber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5766-812X)
- Héctor H. Torres‐Martínez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-4255)
- Zihao Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0598-462X)
- José R. Dinneny (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3998-724X)
- Bipin K. Pandey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9614-1347)
- Jason Banda
- Margaretha A. Veltman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4106-4516)
- Johannes Daniel Scharwies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3047-6013)
- Willian G. Viana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8499-2304)
- Ria Khare (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6561-4511)
- Taylor Clarke
- Andrea Dinneny
- Malcolm J. Bennett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0475-390X)
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- UNC Libraries
- Published
- 2025-10-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.17615/jjwf-1b96
- Primary Topic
- Crop Yield and Soil Fertility
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Oregon State University
- UK Research and Innovation
- Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
- Directorate for Biological Sciences
- Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy
- Agricultural Research Service
- Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Biological and Environmental Research
- HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions