Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits
Published on: February 10, 2023
Coordination of root growth with root morphology, physiology and defense functions in response to root pruning in
Zhipei Feng1, Deliang Kong1, Yuhua Kong1
1College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450002, China.
Introduction:
Root pruning is commonly used to facilitate seedling transplantation for the restoration of degraded or damaged ecosystems. However, little is known about how root growth coordinates morphology, physiology and defense functions following root pruning.
Objectives:
We aim to elucidate whether and how root growth trades off with defense functioning after pruning.
Methods:
Seedlings of Platycladus orientalis, a tree species widely used in forest restoration, were subjected to root pruning treatment. A suite of root growth, morphological and physiological traits were measured after pruning in combination with proteomic analysis.
Results:
Root growth was insensitive to pruning until at 504 h with a significant increase of 16.8%, whereas root physiology was activated rapidly after pruning. Key root morphological traits, such as root diameter, specific root length and root tissue density, showed no response to the pruning treatment. Plant defense syndromes such as reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzymes and defensive phytohormones such as jasmonic acid and abscisic acid, were recruited at six hours after pruning and recovered to the unpruned levels at 504 h. Compared with the controls, 271, 360 and 106 proteins were differentially expressed at 6, 72 and 504 h after root pruning, respectively. These proteins, associated with defense function, showed temporal patterns similar to the above defense syndromes.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest a root growth-defense tradeoff following root pruning in P. orientalis. This tradeoff was potentially due to the significant increase of indole-3-acetic acid, the phytohormone stimulating root branching, which occurred soon after pruning. Together, these results provide a holistic understanding of how root growth is coordinated with root morphology, physiology, and defense in response to root pruning.
More Related Videos
09:23Imaging the Root Hair Morphology of Arabidopsis Seedlings in a Two-layer Microfluidic Platform
Published on: August 15, 2017
08:04Poplar Adventitious Roots Induced by Stem Canker Pathogens: An Experimental System for Studying Roots Biology and Light Response-Related Processes
Published on: October 11, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Gravity and Touch
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
Morphogenesis
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Meristems and Plant Growth
Basic Plant Anatomy: Roots, Stems, and Leaves