Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2025
06:33
Author Spotlight: Exploring Plant-Microbe Interactions Through Root Exudates in a Novel Growth System
Published on: November 17, 2023
1.8K
Root-exuded benzoxazinoids can alleviate negative plant-soil feedbacks
Valentin Gfeller1,2, Lisa Thoenen1, Matthias Erb1
1Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, 3013, Bern, Switzerland.
The New Phytologist
|December 13, 2023
Summary
Maize plants use benzoxazinoids, compounds released into soil, to resist negative effects from other plants. These plant secondary metabolites help stabilize crop performance by altering soil microbes.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Chemical Ecology
- Soil Science
Background:
- Plants influence neighboring plant growth through soil modification, a phenomenon known as plant-soil feedback.
- Negative plant-soil feedbacks are species-specific, indicating evolved resistance mechanisms.
- The role of plant secondary metabolites in mediating these interactions is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if benzoxazinoids, exuded by maize, enable it to cope with negative plant-soil feedbacks.
- To determine the role of soil biota in benzoxazinoid-mediated plant protection.
Main Methods:
- Tested the impact of five crop species on maize performance.
- Assessed the effect of benzoxazinoid production in maize, including using benzoxazinoid-deficient mutants.
- Conducted soil sterilization and reinoculation experiments.
- Applied purified benzoxazinoids to soil.
Main Results:
- Three of five tested species negatively impacted maize performance.
- Maize's benzoxazinoid production partially alleviated these negative effects.
- Supplementing soil with benzoxazinoids restored protection for mutants.
- Evidence suggests benzoxazinoids mediate protection by altering soil biota.
Conclusions:
- Exuded plant secondary metabolites, like benzoxazinoids, enable plants to resist negative plant-soil feedbacks.
- This mechanism expands the known functions of secondary metabolites and offers a way to stabilize crop performance.
- The context-dependent nature of this effect highlights the importance of soil type and experimental conditions.
Related Concept Videos
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
35.6K
Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
35.6K
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
13.1K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
13.1K
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
10.7K
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
10.7K
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
25.6K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
25.6K
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
18.8K
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...
18.8K
01:25Cell Signaling in Plants
5.6K
Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
5.6K