A Guide to Quantify Arabidopsis Seedling Thermomorphogenesis at Single Timepoints and by Interval Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Plant biology
• Developmental biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Thermomorphogenesis, the plant's adaptation to temperature changes, is crucial for survival.
• Quantifying seedling phenotypes like hypocotyl and root elongation is key to understanding thermomorphogenesis.
• Current methods often lack detailed growth dynamics due to single time-point measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a general experimental setup for recording and measuring seedling phenotypes at multiple time points.
• To introduce the R-package "rootdetectR" for processing plant growth data.
• To enable comprehensive analysis of plant thermomorphogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a general experimental setup for seedling phenotype recording.
• Implementation of single and multiple time-point measurements.
• Creation of the "rootdetectR" R-package for data analysis.

Main Results:

• The described setup allows for detailed recording of seedling phenotypes.
• "rootdetectR" facilitates easy processing of hypocotyl, root, and petiole length data.
• The package offers various data presentation options for growth rates and dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The developed methods and "rootdetectR" package provide a robust framework for studying plant thermomorphogenesis.
• Accurate measurement of growth dynamics is essential for a deeper understanding of temperature-induced plant responses.
• This approach can significantly advance research in plant adaptation to thermal environments.