ERC SYNERGY Project HYDROSENSING

Full professor for plant ecology in Regensburg. #plantscience #plantscijobs

jobs.zeit.de/jobs/w3-prof...

Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction - Nature Soil compaction traps ethylene around roots, which causes transcriptional upregulation of Auxin Response Factor1, resulting in decreased root cortical cell wall thickness and thereby promoting root ra...

• Cortex cell walls weaken → cells expand radially
• Result: a thick epidermis–thin cortex architecture that helps roots penetrate dense soil

📖 Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction. Nature www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#Plantscience #RootBiology #Science

Image: Semi-thin sections (2 µm thickness, 1 cm from root tip) of WT, arf1-1, OE-ARF1, cesa6 and arf1cesa6 lines. Scale bar=50 µm. Credit: Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09765-7

🌱 How do roots push through compacted soil?

A new study in @nature.com shows that soil compaction increases ethylene, reshaping cell wall mechanics in roots hydrosensing.eu/2026/02/ethy...

Some key findings📝

• Ethylene activates ARF1 in the root cortex
• ARF1 represses cellulose synthase genes

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Why are stress-resistant crops still rare? Bridging the gap between discovery and the field - The Global Plant Council Over the past three decades, plant scientists have identified thousands of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to tolerance against drought, heat, salinity, and other environmental…

Why are stress-resistant crops still rare? Bridging the gap between discovery and the field buff.ly/gnIupta via @universityofessex.bsky.social #Plantscience

Teaching Tools in Plant Biology Graphics highlighting several scientific images/figures.

📣 Check out the latest unit in the Teaching Tools in Plant Biology series, “Genomic Analysis of Botanical Collections: Opportunities and Challenges,” blog.aspb.org/new-teaching.... 🌱

#PlantScience

Developmental pathways in plants: Lessons from Arabidopsis for crop innovation Abstract. The emergence of molecular biology, along with the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism, has significantly enhanced our understanding

With advances in genome sequencing, these insights are now being translated to crop species, opening exciting opportunities for crop innovation. A look back at foundational discoveries, and forward to what’s next in plant developmental biology.

📝 To the full paper: doi.org/10.1093/plce...

Developmental pathways in plants: Lessons from Arabidopsis for crop innovation Abstract. The emergence of molecular biology, along with the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism, has significantly enhanced our understanding

From a tiny model plant to global food systems 🌍🌱

Review in The Plant Cell explores how decades of research on Arabidopsis thaliana have transformed our understanding of plant development.

#PlantScience #Arabidopsis #PlantGenomics

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Image: Description and validation of pMDS plasmid system for dual analysis of transcription and translation in plants. (A) Organization of pMDS1 vector showing reporters for transcription [mTurquoise (mTurQ)], translation (C-terminal mVenus), and a 2A self-cleaving peptide. (B) Organization of pMDS2 vector showing reporters for transcription (mTurQ), translation (N-terminal mVenus), and a 2A self-cleaving peptide. (C) Confocal image of pMDS1_SHRpro:SHR:mVenus:mTurQ showing gene expression (mTurQ) in the stele region and protein (mVenus) translocating to endodermis in the root meristem. (D) Confocal image of pMDS2_VAM3pro:mVenus:VAM3:mTurQ showing subcellular expression (mTurQ) in the nucleus and protein (mVenus) moving to the vacuole in the root epidermis. Red channel shows mCherry expression. nu, nucleus; vac, vacuole; *, endodermis of root meristem. Scale bar, 10 μM. Credit: Science Advances

🧬🌱 How do cells tune SUMOylation under stress?

New study builds a SUMO Cell Atlas of the Arabidopsis root, revealing striking tissue- and compartment-specific regulation of the entire SUMO pathway, and how different stresses rewire it.

📝 To the full paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

With 5,565 amiRNAs targeting ~82% of the transportome, mTACT enables spatially resolved genetic screens to uncover hidden regulators of signaling molecule transport.

Published in @plantphys.bsky.social

#PlantPhysiology #Arabidopsis #FunctionalGenomics #Transporters #GeneRegulation #PlantScience

🧬🌱 Just added a new paper to the website:

A report about a Multi Targeted AmiRNA Cell type-specific Transportome-scale (mTACT) toolbox, a cell type-specific, transportome-scale amiRNA toolbox that overcomes functional redundancy in Arabidopsis.

📝 Here: hydrosensing.eu/2026/01/mtac...

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Schematic illustration of NRT1.1B-SPX4-NLP4 or NLP3 response patterns in six different states. States I–IV correspond to plants exposed to constant low-nitrate (LN) or high-nitrate (HN) conditions, as discussed in Ma et al. (2025). States I and II depict a stress-free condition, while states III and IV depict a stress condition, in which abscisic acid (ABA) molecules (red circles) bind to NRT1.1B exclusively under constant LN (Figure 1 State III). Under constant HN conditions, instead of ABA molecules, nitrate ions bind to NRT1.1B, and nitrate is transported from the outside to the inside of the cell (Figure 1 State IV). Abscisic acid molecules are substituted by nitrate. As a reference, the transient application of nitrate ions (green circles) is also included for states V and VI, as discussed in Hu et al. (2019) (note that NLP3 is used here instead of NLP4).

🌿To #grow or not to grow...🌿

This #OpenAccess #JIPB commentary discusses the mechanism by which #plants decide whether stop or continue growing under fluctuating #environmental conditions.

doi.org/10.1111/jipb...
@wileylifesci.bsky.social
#PlantScience #botany #evolution #ClimateChange

Maize genetic diversity identifies moisture-dependent root-branch signaling pathways Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips leading to the patterning of new root branches to...

Hi! You can contact Malcolm Bennett or check the version available in biorxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

2026 UK plant biomechanics workshop on 17th April 2026 in Nottingham.

Abstract submissions deadline is 13 Feb, and registration is open.

🌱🧪🌿🔬#PlantSci

Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips, leading to the patterning of new root branches t...

4. These signaling pathways translate environmental water patterns into root architecture with clear field relevance.

🤔 These insights into moisture-responsive root growth could help improve drought resilience in crops. #Maize #PlantScience

📄 Full paper: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...

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Image: Hydropatterning responses revealed in public sector breeding lines of Zea mays (maize). (A and B) Schematic of the (A) hydropatterning response in (B) our custom-built hydropatterning assay. Primary roots of maize seedlings are grown in a vertical position along moist paper while being prevented from growing off the paper by a mesh cover. Lateral root (LR) primordia are preferentially induced towards the water-saturated paper (contact-side) and suppressed on the air-exposed side (air-side). Longitudinal cross-section of maize root (B73 inbred) stained with Calcofluor White (cell walls; gray) and SYBR Green (LRs; green). (C and D) Distribution of (C) contact-(blue) and air-side (white) LR densities from 250 maize inbred lines characterized using the hydropatterning assay and calculated (D) percent air-side LRs (purple). Each inbred line is represented by its median value (n = 1-3 seedlings/inbred) (data S2). Gray lines connect corresponding inbred lines. Population median (white circles). (E) X-ray Computed Tomography showing LR patterning on primary roots of strong (CI64) and weak (OH7B) hydropatterning inbred lines grown through an air-filled macropore in soil.

2. This divergence likely reflects different historical selection pressures during modern breeding.

3. Auxin promotes root branching toward moisture, while ethylene suppresses branching on air-exposed root surfaces.

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Maize #roots actively pattern new branches toward water (hydropatterning), but this response differs across varieties.

Some key findings:

1. Maize shows genetic diversity in hydropatterning, with tropical/subtropical lines exhibiting stronger responsive root branching.

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Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips, leading to the patterning of new root branches t...

🌱 How do maize roots know where water is in dry soils... and why don’t all crops do this equally well??

Recap of the #HS Science paper "Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm"💧🌿

📄 Full paper: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...

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Together, these insights highlight roots as dynamic, hormone-regulated organs that fine-tune growth to maximise water acquisition in challenging environments.

📄 Full paper: academic.oup.com/jxb/article/76/7/1987/8011474

#PlantScience #RootBiology #Science #Plants #Roots #PlantHormones

• Hormones act as central integrators of water signals, translating environmental cues into growth responses that reshape root systems.

• Hormone-driven root plasticity is crucial for drought adaptation, with targets for improving water-use efficiency & resilience.

Review brings together evidence on how plant hormones coordinate root development in response to water availability.

3 key takeaways:

• Roots actively sense water availability, both at the root tip & along mature tissues, enabling directional & adjustment of branching patterns.

🌱 How do plant roots sense and respond to water in the soil?

Recap of hashtag#HS Journal of Experimental Botany review that synthesises current knowledge on hormonal control of root growth–water interactions💧🌿

📄 Full paper: academic.oup.com/jxb/article/76/7/1987/8011474

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As trees grow older, they adjust how their roots explore the soil, shifting toward more efficient resource uptake, while their dependence on fungal partners remains largely unchanged. This shows that root strategies change naturally with age and that trees in mixed-age forests respond differently than those growing in uniform stands.

🌱⚡🔬#RootStressWeek

Tree age affects key fine root morphological traits but does not interfere strongly with (ecto-)mycorrhizal traits by Yu Qin and co-authors in @annbot.bsky.social

#freeaccess article
👉 doi.org/qj59

#RootBiology #PlantStress #RootPhysiology #PlantScience

an illustration of a tree with roots and leaves ALT: an illustration of a tree with roots and leaves

➡️ Roots “smell” where the water is and bend in that direction.

• It happens underground, where we usually can’t see it.
• It helps plants survive dry conditions.
• Tiny chemical signals inside the plant tell the root which way to grow.

#PlantScience #Roots #Hydrotropism #RootBiology

What is hydrotropism?💧

Hydrotropism is how plant roots find water.

Roots don’t just grow straight down. They can sense where water is in the soil & grow toward wetter areas. This helps plants get the water they need to stay alive, especially when the soil is very dry.

Think of it like this👇

Can we tackle antimicrobial resistance or predict future pandemics?

The first panel of our #OneHealth conference will focus on innovation in surveillance and diagnostics, health systems and more!

👉 buff.ly/bqvaXlW

@cassandrakoh.bsky.social @pasteur.fr @engelmal.bsky.social @epidemy.org

Bean root system, text: "Dig into the latest in root and rhizosphere science: Mini Symposium of the ISRR, January 28th 2026"

Rooting for roots?
#PlantScience

Join us online for the Mini Symposium of the International Society of Root Research @rootscientists.bsky.social

Register here for free:

tinyurl.com/yzeddrjx

Programme👇

These insights into hormone interactions shaping root system architecture could inform future strategies to improve drought tolerance in cereal crops.

Read the study: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

#Hydrosensing #2025recap

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• ABA biosynthetic mutants have shallower root angles and weaker drought responsiveness and lower auxin levels in roots.

• Applying auxin externally can rescue root-angle defects in these mutants, confirming that ABA acts upstream of auxin biosynthesis in this response mechanism.

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This enhanced angle helps roots reach deeper soil layers where water is still available under dry conditions.

3 Key takeaways:

• Under drought stress, crops form steeper root systems compared with well-watered conditions.

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