1. Seedling root system adaptation to water availability during maize domestication and global expansion.
- Author
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Yu P, Li C, Li M, He X, Wang D, Li H, Marcon C, Li Y, Perez-Limón S, Chen X, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Koller R, Metzner R, van Dusschoten D, Pflugfelder D, Borisjuk L, Plutenko I, Mahon A, Resende MFR Jr, Salvi S, Akale A, Abdalla M, Ahmed MA, Bauer FM, Schnepf A, Lobet G, Heymans A, Suresh K, Schreiber L, McLaughlin CM, Li C, Mayer M, Schön CC, Bernau V, von Wirén N, Sawers RJH, Wang T, and Hochholdinger F
- Subjects
- Chromosome Mapping, Phenotype, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Plant Proteins genetics, Transcription Factors genetics, Transcription Factors metabolism, Zea mays genetics, Zea mays physiology, Domestication, Plant Roots genetics, Plant Roots growth & development, Adaptation, Physiological genetics, Droughts, Seedlings genetics, Water metabolism
- Abstract
The maize root system has been reshaped by indirect selection during global adaptation to new agricultural environments. In this study, we characterized the root systems of more than 9,000 global maize accessions and its wild relatives, defining the geographical signature and genomic basis of variation in seminal root number. We demonstrate that seminal root number has increased during maize domestication followed by a decrease in response to limited water availability in locally adapted varieties. By combining environmental and phenotypic association analyses with linkage mapping, we identified genes linking environmental variation and seminal root number. Functional characterization of the transcription factor ZmHb77 and in silico root modeling provides evidence that reshaping root system architecture by reducing the number of seminal roots and promoting lateral root density is beneficial for the resilience of maize seedlings to drought., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)
- Published
- 2024
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