Scientists discover how to extend plants’ roots to capture more carbon and survive drought

Straighter and longer roots would allow plants to absorb more nutrients and water, reports Lamiat Sabin

Barley being harvested in Argentina (Getty)

Crops such as barley and wheat can be adapted to survive droughts and help “counter effects of climate change” by straightening their roots, scientists have claimed.

The researchers led by a team of Australian scientists said they discovered a gene in barley that controls the angle at which the plant’s roots grow in soil.

Straighter and longer roots would allow the plant to take in more nutrients and water, they said.

They hope that the discovery could open the door to “developing” new crop varieties that would be more resilient in harsh conditions.

“The angle at which barley roots grow down into the soil enables them to capture water and nutrients from different soil layers,” said joint lead author Dr Haoyu (Mia) Lou of the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine.

“Shallow roots enable plants to capture phosphate and surface water, while deeper, straighter roots can stabilise yield by accessing deeper water and nitrate; they can also bury carbon deeper in the soil.”

Scientists hope their discovery could lead to more resilient wheat and barley crops (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The identification of the genes that control the roots’ growth can help adapt the crops to specific types of soil, which can help “mitigate carbon burden and counter the effects of climate change,” she added.

Dr Lou’s team, working alongside scientists from the UK, Italy, Germany and the US, announced that they had identified a new gene called Enhanced Gravitropism 1 (EGT1) in barley.

She said: “We have found that mutants lacking function of the EGT1 gene exhibit a steeper growth angle in all classes of roots.

“Remarkably, the roots behave as if they are overly sensitive to gravity – they are unable to grow outwards from the plant, and instead grow straight down.”

The researchers hope that their discovery can aid in genetically-modifying plants to allow them to grow in areas of severe drought, such as in eastern and south-eastern parts of Australia.

Co-author Associate Professor Matthew Tucker, Deputy Director of the Waite Research Institute said: “These findings were made possible through exciting technologies such as X-ray CT, enabling root growth to be traced in soil.

“They could immediately help cereal breeders to select varieties with straighter roots from their genetic stocks, or aid in the development and deployment of new EGT1 alleles in the near future.”

Dr Lou undertook the research as part of a joint PhD program with the University of Nottingham in the UK. The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).