Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
07:45
An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients
Published on: October 22, 2018
Ideotype root architecture for efficient nitrogen acquisition by maize in intensive cropping systems.
Guohua Mi1, Fanjun Chen, Qiuping Wu
1Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition, MOA, Beijing, 100193, China.
Science China. Life Sciences
|December 25, 2010
Summary
Improving nitrogen (N) use efficiency in maize is crucial for sustainable agriculture. This review suggests an ideal root architecture for enhanced N acquisition, focusing on deeper, active roots and responsive lateral growth.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Plant Physiology
- Soil Science
Background:
- Nitrogen fertilizers are essential for food production but cause environmental issues.
- Increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in intensive cropping systems is a global concern.
- Nitrate leaching is a primary nitrogen loss pathway in high-yielding maize.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review nitrate movement in soil and nitrogen uptake by maize.
- To discuss the regulation of root growth by soil nitrogen availability.
- To propose an ideotype root architecture for efficient nitrogen acquisition in maize.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on nitrate movement, N uptake, and root growth regulation.
- Analysis of factors influencing nitrogen acquisition in maize.
- Synthesis of findings to propose an optimal root architecture.
Main Results:
- Nitrate movement in soil and its uptake by maize are complex processes.
- Soil nitrogen availability significantly regulates maize root growth.
- An ideotype root architecture is proposed for enhanced nitrogen acquisition.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing root architecture is key to improving nitrogen use efficiency in maize.
- Deeper, active roots and responsive lateral root growth are critical traits.
- Targeted root development strategies can mitigate nitrogen loss and enhance crop yield.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Light Acquisition
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
01:22Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme nitrate reductase...
02:34Water and Mineral Acquisition
Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the atmosphere, the...
01:27C4 Pathway and CAM
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...