DRO1基因——让水稻的根伸得更深

日本农业生物资源研究所宇贺优作率领的研究小组在新一期《自然—遗传学》杂志上发表论文说，旱稻拥有一种DRO1基因，该基因位于水稻第9染色体长臂上。DRO1基因感知重力后，可以使旱稻根部向下伸展。他们对籼稻IR64的DRO1基因进行了研究，发现其DRO1基因有部分缺损。通过杂交，研究人员为IR64重新植入DRO1基因。结果发现其扎根深度达到以前的2倍以上。在IR64水稻几乎会绝收的严重干旱环境下，植入DRO1基因后，收获量能够达到通常水平的30%左右。

论文摘要：

Control of root system architecture by DEEPER ROOTING 1 increases rice yield under drought conditions

关于DRO1基因，可以参考

Dro1, a major QTL involved in deep rooting of rice under upland field conditions, Journal of Experimental Botany, 2011, Volume 62, Issue 8Pp. 2485-2494

重要综述：关于根系统结构的研究

Soil conditions and cereal root system architecture: review and considerations for linking Darwin and Weaver

Abstract

Charles Darwin founded root system architecture research in 1880 when he described a root bending with gravity. Curving, elongating, and branching are the three cellular processes in roots that underlie root architecture. Together they determine the distribution of roots through soil and time, and hence the plants’ access to water and nutrients, and anchorage. Most knowledge of these cellular processes comes from seedlings of the model dicotyledon, Arabidopsis, grown in soil-less conditions with single treatments. Root systems in the field, however, face multiple stimuli that interact with the plant genetics to result in the root system architecture. Here we review how soil conditions influence root system architecture; focusing on cereals. Cereals provide half of human calories, and their root systems differ from those of dicotyledons. We find that few controlled-environment studies combine more than one soil stimulus and, those that do, highlight the complexity of responses. Most studies are conducted on seedling roots; those on adult roots generally show low correlations to seedling studies. Few field studies report root and soil conditions. Until technologies are available to track root architecture in the field, soil analyses combined with knowledge of the effects of factors on elongation and gravitropism could be ranked to better predict the interaction between genetics and environment (G×E) for a given crop. Understanding how soil conditions regulate root architecture can be effectively used to design soil management and plant genetics that best exploit synergies from G×E of roots.