Hormonal interplay during adventitious root formation in flooded tomato plants
Maria Laura Vidoz1, Elena Loreti, Anna Mensuali
1Plant Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Via Mariscoglio 34, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
The Plant Journal : for Cell and Molecular Biology
|May 26, 2010
Summary
Tomato plants survive soil flooding by growing new adventitious roots (ARs). Ethylene and auxin signaling pathways interact to stimulate AR formation, enhancing waterlogged plant survival.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Agronomy
- Environmental Stress Physiology
Background:
- Soil flooding (waterlogging) reduces oxygen availability, negatively impacting crop growth and productivity.
- Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) exhibits sensitivity to waterlogging but can produce adventitious roots (ARs) to enhance survival.
- Ethylene entrapment in waterlogged soil may act as an initial plant stress signal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ethylene and auxin in the formation of adventitious roots (ARs) in waterlogged tomato plants.
- To elucidate the signaling pathway connecting ethylene perception to auxin transport and AR development under flooding conditions.
Main Methods:
- Application of ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG) and auxin transport inhibitor (1-naphthylphthalamic acid, NPA) to waterlogged tomato plants.
- Observation and analysis of adventitious root formation in response to chemical treatments.
- Investigation of ethylene and auxin signaling interactions using genetic components like the Never Ripe receptor and Diageotropica gene.
Main Results:
- Inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis (AVG) and auxin transport (NPA) significantly reduced AR formation in waterlogged plants.
- Ethylene perception, mediated by the Never Ripe receptor, was found to stimulate auxin transport.
- A positive feedback loop was identified where auxin accumulation in the stem triggered further ethylene synthesis, enhancing auxin flux to flooded areas and inducing AR growth.
Conclusions:
- Ethylene and auxin signaling pathways are crucial for triggering adventitious root formation in tomato plants under waterlogging stress.
- This adaptive response allows tomato plants to develop a new root system, replacing submerged and damaged roots, thereby increasing survival rates during soil flooding.
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