Biomechanical Response of the Root System in Tomato Seedlings under Wind Disturbance

Wind disturbance as a green method can effectively prevent the overgrowth of tomato seedlings,and its mechanism may be related to root system mechanics.This study characterized the biophysical mechanical properties of taproot and lateral roots of tomato seedlings at five seedling ages and seedling substrates with three different moisture content.The corresponding root system-substrate finite element(FE)model was then developed and validated.The study showed that seedling age significantly affected the biomechanical properties of the taproot and lateral roots of the seedlings and that moisture content significantly affected the biomechanical properties of the seedling substrate(p<0.05).The established FE model was sensitive to wind speed,substrate moisture content,strong seedling index,and seedling age and was robust.The multiple linear regression equations obtained could predict the maximum stress and strain of the root system of tomato seedlings in the wind field.The strong seedling index had the greatest impact on the biomechanical response of the seedling root system during wind disturbance,followed by wind speed.In contrast,seedling age had no significant effect on the biomechanical response of the root system during wind disturbance.In the simulation,no mechanical damage was observed on the tissue of the seedling root system,but there were some strain behaviors.Based on the plant stress resistance,wind disturbance may affect the growth and development of the root system in the later growth stage.In this study,finite element and statistical analysis methods were combined to provide an effective approach for indepth analysis of the biomechanical mechanisms of wind disturbances that inhibit tomato seedlings’growth from the root system’s perspective.

Root Systems Lie Algebras

A root system is any collection of vectors that has properties that satisfy the roots of a semi simple Lie algebra. If g is semi simple, then the root system A, (Q) can be described as a system of vectors in a Euclidean vector space that possesses some remarkable symmetries and completely defines the Lie algebra of g. The purpose of this paper is to show the essentiality of the root system on the Lie algebra. In addition, the paper will mention the connection between the root system and Ways chambers. In addition, we will show Dynkin diagrams, which are an integral part of the root system.

Fusarium pseudograminearum and F.culmorum affect the root system architecture of bread wheat

Yield losses of bread wheat due to crown rot can be more severe when drought conditions occur during the grain-filling period.Root architecture characteristics are important for soil exploration and belowground resource acquisition and are essential for adaptation to water-limited environments.Traits such as root angle,length and density have been strongly associated with acquisition efficiency and contribute to yield stability of the crop.The impact of crown rot pathogens on wheat root architecture is poorly understood.We examined differences in root angle,length and number,as well as dry root weight of the crown rot-susceptible bread wheat cultivar,Livingston inoculated with one of two crown rot pathogens Fusarium culmorum or Fusarium pseudograminearum in a transparent-sided root observation chamber.Significant adverse impacts on plant health and growth were revealed by visual discolouration of the leaf sheaths;fresh and dry shoot weight;leaf area of the oldest and the youngest fully expanded leaf and leaf number.Values of most recorded root system measurements were reduced when inoculated with either F.culmorum or F.pseudograminearum.In contrast,root angle was increased in the presence of F.culmorum but was not significantly changed by F.pseudograminearum.The development of whiteheads and grain losses in bread wheat caused by crown rot have previously been associated with blockages of the vascular systems.The method employed here was able to identify differences in the pathogen impacts on roots,which were not detected using previous systems.This research indicates that in the presence of F.culmorum and F.pseudograminearum infection,not only reductions in the size and biomass of the shoot system but also changes in the length,biomass and architecture of the root system could play an important role in yield loss.

Regulation of ABA on Rice Root System Growth under Cadmium Stress

[Objective] The regulation of ABA on rice root system growth under Cd stress was studied.[Method] Taking rice Zhonghua No.11 as material,changes in rice root system growth were studied under the treatments of Cd,Cd ＋ ABA and Cd ＋ ABA inhibitor.[Result] Exogenous ABA could shorten the length of primary roots and adventitious roots of rice and could obviously inhibit the formation of lateral roots in primary roots and adventitious roots;ABA could obviously shorten the distance from root hair to root tip,but had little effect on the quantity of adventitious roots.[Conclusion] ABA takes part in the regulation in rice root system growth under Cd stress.

Regulation of Sucrose and Zinc on Root System Growth in Rice

[Objective] The aim was to study the relationship between urcrose, zinc and the root system growth in rice. [Method] Changes of root system growth, ROS generation and root system proton export ability were analyzed in rice （Oryza sativa L. cv Zhonghua No.11） treated with different concentrations of Zn （NO3）3 sucrose, com- bined sucrose and Zn （NO3）3 mannitol as well as mannitol plus Zn （NO3）2. [Result] The results showed that treatment with 1-3 mM Zn（NO3）2 resulted in significant increases in total root length /number and in accumulation of H202 and 02- but decreases in root system proton export ability. With the exception of shoot length, the length of primary, adventitious, and lateral roots, and the number of adventitious, and lateral roots on primary /adventitious roots were all influenced by different concentrations of sucrose. High concentrations of sucrose caused increases in H202 and O2-, starva- tion or high concentrations of sucrose reduced root system proton export ability after treating with or without Zn. However, at the same concentration of sucrose, different changes of these indicators were observed between Zn and non-Zn treatments. The regulation of root system growth induced by sucrose was marked different from that of mannitol at the same concentration of 5%, suggesting that these effects were caused by sugar signal but not by osmotic potential. [Conclusion] This study indicat- ed that both sucrose and Zn play important roles in the regulation of rice root system growth.

Abnormal Secondary Growth and Histochemical Localization of Alkaloids in Root System of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz.

[Objective] The purpose of this study was to clarify the structure,growth pattern and histochemical localization of alkaloids in root system of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz.[Method] Paraffin sectioning and histochemistry were employed for performing the analysis in this study.[Result] The root system of Aconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz.consists of taproot,lateral root and adventitious root.The primary structure of root system is normal,but secondary structure shows abnormal.The cambium and the extra cambium of taproot form a ＂U＂-shaped secondary vascular bundle and tertiary bundle in abnormal secondary structure.The sieve tube group is made of little sieve tube group which is differentiated from primary phloem and cambium.Meanwhile,the secondary xylem in tuberous root also appears to be a ＂U＂ shape.Parenchyma cells of secondary phloem occupy most of the tuberous root.The sieve tube group of tuberous root is mainly differentiated from parenchyma cell of secondary phloem.[Conclusion] The difference in abnormal secondary structure of taproot and tuberous root are attributed to their varied cambium compose and activity pattern.Alkaloids are mainly accumulated in parenchyma cell of the inside cortex and between bundle in taproot,while parenchyma of secondary phloem and pith in tuberous root.

Effects of Superoxide Radical on Root System Growth and Auxin Distribution in Rice

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect of superoxide radical on root system growth and auxin distribution in rice （Oryza sativa L. cv Zhonghua No.11）. [Method] With rice Zhonghua No.ll as the experimental material, the effects of DDC （SOD inhibitor） and Tiron （superoxide radical scavenger） on the root system growth, superoxide radical generation and root system auxin distribution in rice were analyzed. [Result] The growth and elongation of primary and adventitious roots were significantly promoted by DDC, while Tiron significantly inhibited the growth and elongation of shoots, primary roots and their lateral roots, and also suppressed the formation and growth of the adventitious roots as well as the elongation of their lateral roots. The superoxide radical was increased with the induction of DDC, while Tiron decreased the accumulation of superoxide radical. Increased accumulation of auxin in the vascular bundle and behind the elongation zone was observed in DDC- treated roots, while the treatment with Tiron resulted in a decrease of auxin in the same position. [Conclusion] This study indicated that the regulation of rice root sys- tem growth by superoxide radical was closely related with the accumulation and distribution of auxin.

The influence of plant root system architectural properties upon the stability of loess hillslopes,Northeast Qinghai,China

To investigate the influence of root system architectural properties of three indigenous （cold- adapted） shrubs on the hillslope stability of loess deposits in the Xining Basin, northeast part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau （QTP）, indoor direct shear tests have been conducted on the remolded rooted soil of three shrubs. Test results show that root system architectural indices （root area ratio （RAR）, root length density （RLD） and root density （RD）） of the shrubs decline with depth and the relationship between RAR, RD and depth is exponential, while a power relationship describes the relationship between RLD and depth. The cohesion force of remolded rooted soil for the shrubs initially increases with depth, but it then demonstrates a slightly decreasing trend, which can be described with a power relationship. Power relationships also describe relationships between cohesion force and RAR, RLD and RD for the shrubs. As the growth period increases from lO to 17 months, the incremental increase in RAR is 48.32% ~ 21o.25% for Caragana korshinskii Kom and 0.56% ~ 166.85% for ZygophyUum xanthoxylon （Bunge） Maxim. This proportional increase is notably larger than that for RLD and RD. The increment in RAR is marginally greater for C. korshinskff than it is for Z. xanthoxylon. Correspondingly, the cohesion force incremental rates of remolded rooted soil for C. korshinskii and Z. xanthoxylon are 12.41% ~ 25.22% and 3.45% ~ 17.33% respectively. Meanwhile, as root content increases, the contribution by roots to cohesion force increases markedly until a threshold condition is reached.

A Study of Tensile Strength Tests of Arborous Species Root System in Forest Engineering Technique of Shallow Landslide

One experiment was conducted, through tensile tests of Albazzia and Eucalypt roots culled from the fields. The other experiment was conducted, by testing anti-drawing strength of these root systems in the Albazzia and Eucalypt lands. These two experiments had an aim to give insights into the maximum tensile strength and anti-drawing strength of the root systems. Results indicated that the maximum tensile strength of root system is in an exponential relation with the diameter of root system while the maximum tensile strength is positively correlative with the diameter of root system. Anti-drawing force of root system together with root diameter, length, and soil bulk density are folded into a regression equation in an attempt to figure out the static friction coefficient between root system and its ambient soil.

Interacted Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Polyamines on Root System Architecture of Citrus Seedlings

Either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi （AMF） or polyamines （PAs） may change root system architecture （RSA） of plants, whereas the interaction of AMF and PAs on RSA remains unclear. In the present study, we studied the interaction between AMF （Paraglomus occultum） and exogenous PAs, including putrescine （Put）, spermidine （Spd） and spermine （Spin） on mycorrhizal development of different parts of root system, plant growth, RSA and carbohydrate concentrations of 6-m-old citrus （Citrus tangerine Hort. ex Tanaka） seedlings. After 14 wk of PAs application, PA-treated mycorrhizal seedlings exhibited better mycorrhizal colonization and numbers of vesicles, arbuscules, and entry points, and the best mycorrhizal status of taproot, first-, second-, and third-order lateral roots was respectively found in mycorrhizal seedlings supplied with Put, Spd and Spm, suggesting that PAs might act as a regulated factor of mycorrhizal development through transformation of root sucrose more into glucose for sustaining mycorrhizal development. AMF usually notably increases RSA traits （taproot length, total length, average diameter, projected area, surface area, volume, and number of first-, second-, and third-order lateral roots） of only PA-treated seedlings. Among the three PA species, greater positive effects on RSA change and plant biomass increment of the seedlings generally rank as Spd〉Spm〉Put, irrespective of whether or not AMF colonization. PAs significantly changed the RSA traits in mycorrhizal but not in non-mycorrhizal seedlings. It suggests that the application of PAs （especially Spd） to AMF plants would optimize RSA of citrus seedlings, thus increasing plant growth （shoot and root dry weight）.

Optimal root system strategies for desert phreatophytic seedlings in the search for groundwater

Desert phreatophytes are greatly dependent on groundwater, but how their root systems adapt to different groundwater depths is poorly understood. In the present study, shoot and root growths of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. seedlings were studied across a gradient of groundwater depths. Leaves, stems and roots of different orders were measured after 120 days of different groundwater treatments. Results indicated that the depth of soil wetting front and the vertical distribution of soil water contents were highly controlled by groundwater depths. The shoot growth and biomass of A. sparsifolia decreased, but the root growth and rooting depth increased under deeper groundwater conditions. The higher ratios of root biomass, root/shoot and root length/leaf area under deeper groundwater conditions implied that seedlings of A. sparsifolia economized carbon cost on their shoot growths. The roots of A. sparsifolia distributed evenly around the soil wetting fronts under deeper groundwater conditions. Root diameters and root lengths of all orders were correlated with soil water availabilities both within and among treatments. Seedlings of A. sparsifolia produced finer first- and second-order roots but larger third- and fourth-order roots in dry soils. The results demonstrated that the root systems of desert phreatophytes can be optimized to acquire groundwater resources and maximize seedling growth by balancing the costs of carbon gain.

Study on the Root Systems for Different Types of Winter Wheat

Root growth traits for different wheat types varied during the growth cycle. The root system of 93 Zhong 6, which is a dwarf, big-ear variety, reached its highest density at anthesis, while the root density of Zhoumai 13, a medium-type variety, demonsrated its highest value during the node elongation stage and decreased rapidly at later growth stages, which resulted in lower yield. The root density of Zhongyu 6 and 98 Zhong 18, high yield potential, multiple ears varieties, did not show observable variation in their root systems during their growth cycles.

Production Performance of Root Systems of Four Forage Legume Species and Their Development Characteristics in Loess Plateau,China

Production performance of four forage legumes species of Medicago sativa,Onobrychis viciifolia,Lotus corniculatus and Galega officinalis were determined,including plant height,above-ground biomass per unit area,tillers per unit area,fertile tillers per unit area,shoot /leaf ratio and fresh /dry matter weight ratio,and the distribution characteristics of their root systems in 0- 100 cm soil layers with 10 cm interval were studied. Results showed that the average aboveground fresh biomass(4 a and 5 a) of four forage legumes species successively were L. corniculatus 】 M. sativa 】 O. viciifolia 】 G. officinalis. The average plant heights in two years successively were O. viciifolia 】 M. sativa 】 G. officinalis 】 L. corniculatus. Tillers per unit area of four forage legume species in two years successively were M. sativa 】 L. corniculatus 】 O. viciifolia 】 G. officinalis. Fertile tillers per unit area in two years were O. viciifolia 】 M. sativa 】 L. corniculatus 】 G. officinalis. Average shoot /leaf ratio in two years were G. officinalis 】 M. sativa 】 O. viciifolia 】 L. corniculatus. Average moisture contents of four forage legume species in two years successively were G. officinalis 】 L. corniculatus 】 M. sativa = O. viciifolia. The distribution characteristics of root systems of four forage legumes species in 0- 100 cm soil layers were as follows: the root weights of M. sativa in 0- 40 cm soil layers accounted for about 98. 3% of total root weight,that of O. viciifolia in 0- 30 cm soil layers was 85. 8%,that of L. corniculatus in 0- 10 cm soil layers was 80%,and that of G. officinalis in 0- 40 cm soil layers was 81. 4%. The results suggested that L. corniculatus was suited to plant in slighter degraded pasture to control water and soil erosion in early stage,G. officinalis with strong lateral roots was adapted to degraded grassland in the Loess Plateau where soil nutrient was poor,while O. viciifolia and M. sativa with potentially strong main root were fit for water and soil conservation in the losses plateau for long term.

Identification of QTL and underlying genes for root system architecture associated with nitrate nutrition in hexaploid wheat

The root system architecture(RSA) of a crop has a profound effect on the uptake of nutrients and consequently the potential yield. However, little is known about the genetic basis of RSA and resource adaptive responses in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.). Here, a high-throughput germination paper-based plant phenotyping system was used to identify seedling traits in a wheat doubled haploid mapping population, Savannah×Rialto. Significant genotypic and nitrate-N treatment variation was found across the population for seedling traits with distinct trait grouping for root size-related traits and root distribution-related traits. Quantitative trait locus(QTL) analysis identified a total of 59 seedling trait QTLs. Across two nitrate treatments, 27 root QTLs were specific to the nitrate treatment. Transcriptomic analyses for one of the QTLs on chromosome 2 D, which was found under low nitrate conditions, revealed gene enrichment in N-related biological processes and 28 differentially expressed genes with possible involvement in a root angle response. Together, these findings provide genetic insight into root system architecture and plant adaptive responses to nitrate, as well as targets that could help improve N capture in wheat.

Effect of Salt Stress on Nitrogen Assimilation of Functional Leaves and Root System of Rice in Cold Region

The aims were to investigate the effect of salt stress on key enzyme activity of nitrogen metabolism and the concentration of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen response to salt stress.Two rice cultivars,Mudanjiang 30(sensitive cultivar)and Longdao 5(salt-tolerant cultivar),were treated with different salt concentrations(CK 0%,S10.075%,S20.15%,S30.225%and S40.3%).The results showed that the activities of nitrate reductase(NR),glutamine synthase(GS),glutamate synthase(GOGAT)and glutamate dehydrogenase(GDH)in the functional leaves and roots of rice in cold region presented a single peak curve change and the peak occurred in the heading stage;compared with those of the CK,the activities of NR,GS and GOGAT of rice in cold region decreased,but the activity of GDH increased in the heading stage under salt stress.The variation for key enzyme activity of nitrogen metabolism was the highest under S4 treatment.The activities of NR,GS and GOGAT in the functional leaves significantly decreased compared with those in roots;the concentrations of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in the functional leaves and roots of rice in cold region presented a single peak curve change and the peak occurred in the heading stage;compared with that of the CK,the concentration of nitrate nitrogen decreased in leaves and roots,the concentration of ammonium nitrogen decreased and the concentration of ammonium nitrogen in roots increased under salt stress.The variations for the activities of NR,GS and GOGAT in the functional leaves and roots of Longdao 5 were less than those of Mudanjiang 30 under the same concentration of salt stress.

Advances in experimental methods for root system architecture and root development

Plant roots play important roles in acquisition of water and nutrients, storage, anchoring, transport, and symbiosis with soil microorganisms, thus quantitative researches on root developmental processes are essential to understand root functions and root turnover in ecosystems,and at the same time such researches are the most difficult because roots are hidden underground. Therefore, how to investigate efficiently root functions and root dynamics is the core aspect in underground ecology. In this article, we reviewed some experimental methods used in root researches on root development and root system architecture, and summarized the advantages and shortages of these methods. Based on the analyses, we proposed three new ways to more understand root processes：（1） new experimental materials for root development;（2） a new observatory system comprised of multiple components, including many observatory windows installed in field, analysis software,and automatic data transport devices;（3） new techniques used to analyze quantitatively functional roots.

Distinct root system acclimation patterns of seagrass Zostera japonica in sediments of different trophic status:a research by X-ray computed tomography

Conspecific seagrass living in differing environments may develop different root system acclimation patterns.We applied X-ray computed tomography(CT)for imaging and quantifying roots systems of Zostera japonica collected from typical oligotrophic and eutrophic sediments in two coastal sites of northern China,and determined sediment physicochemical properties that might influence root system morphology,density,and distribution.The trophic status of sediments had little influence on the Z.japonica root length,and diameters of root and rhizome.However,Z.japonica in oligotrophic sediment developed the root system with longer rhizome node,deeper rhizome distribution,and larger allocation to below-ground tissues in order to acquire more nutrients and relieve the N deficiency.And the lower root and rhizome densities of Z.japonica in eutrophic sediment were mainly caused by fewer shoots and shorter longevity,which was resulted from the more serious sulfide inhibition.Our results systematically revealed the effect of sediment trophic status on the phenotypic plasticity,quantity,and distribution of Z.japonica root system,and demonstrated the feasibly of X-ray CT in seagrass root system research.

The Number of Irreducible Subsystems in the Classical Irreducible Root Systems

Let Φ be an irreducible root system of classical type. In t his short note, we study the irreducible subsystems of Φ and compute the nu mber of irreducible subsystems of any rank k in Φ.

Architecter Study of the Young Date Palm （Phoenix dactylifera L.） Root System

The architectural analysis of the young date palm （Phoenix dactylifera L.） root system （its form and its structure）, is necessary to describe its principal functions of absorption and anchoring. In this study the authors present an analysis of the root branching process. It allows them to understand the distribution of inter-lateral root length on the radicle and to account the development of the root system in the soil. Root architecture was studied from samples sprouted naturally in the oases of Chott el Ferikh （Gabes） and other plants grown in polyethylene bags under the shadow. This analysis has showed five categories of roots belonging to four different topological orders in the youthful phasis.

Role of a Signalling System in Gene Interaction in Inheritance of Root System Characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

The central problem of genetics is gene interaction since genes in the course of individual organism development interact with other genes, that’s why their effects may change. Studies for the last 100 years managed to discover that the entire diversity of inter-gene interactions is presented in four major forms: complementarity, epistasis, polymery, and modifying effect of genes. However, gene interaction mechanism which is reflected on the segregation nature of variously crossed hybrids has not been sufficiently studied. Exclusive of molecular genetics, biochemistry and physiology, a genetic analysis of inheritance of characteristics in gene interaction taken by itself cannot reveal nature of this interaction. Lately, molecular-genetic and physiological studies on A. thaliana mutants have enabled to isolate and sequence a wide range of genes controlling certain links of the signalling chain. At the same time, effect of the plant development regulation signalling system on interaction of these genes in inheritance of characteristics of Arabidopsis root system haven’t been studied so far which was a cause for our studies. Gene interaction problem is closely related to the plant development regulation signalling system. Mechanism involved in gene interaction may be explained based on current idea of molecular principles of biological response. Affected by mutations occurring in various genes that control certain links of the signalling chain, signalling path to the cell nucleus and response are blocked partially or in full which leads to distortion in expression of the characteristic on the plant level in general or its organ level. Such phenomenon is observed in realization of many characteristics in animals and plants, including in A. thaliana. In inheritance of such characteristics, as a rule, both allelic, and non-allelic gene interactions are observed. Results of a study of the plant signalling system interconnection and gene interaction in inheritance of characteristics of Arabidopsis root system are presented. It is established that complementary interaction of genes RHD3 and SAR1 is observed in the second crossing generation for plants of rhd3-1 × sar-1 mutant lines. When gpa1-3 × slr-1 mutant-line plants are crossed, recessive epistasis (slr-1 slr-1 > GPA1_) occurs in F2 generation. Polymeric interaction of genes SHY2 and MSG1 is observed in F2 in crossing of shy2-2 × msg1-2 mutant-line plants.