Thursday, 27 February 2025
A new study has identified a genetic circuit in plants that controls individual leaf growth and allows the plants to adapt to their environment. The findings could help the development of more drought-resistant crops.
Scientists from the 糖心原创’s School of Biosciences investigated the growth of maize leaves in plants cultivated in three different soils containing differential amounts of nutrients and water. They found that microbes colonising plant leaves across these soils influence the growth of the leaves independently of the concentration of nutrients and soil properties. The findings have been published today in
The leaf is one of the most important organs of a plant, they produce food for the plant through photosynthesis. Plant leaves are colonised by microbes that are vital for the survival and health of the plants, particularly in dry weather conditions. The complex microbiota help the plant to ‘digest’ the nutrients it needs.
In nature, plant leaves are colonised by microbes. Whether and how these microbial communities modulate the growth of leaves is something poorly understood. We have now revealed more about this process through experiments of recolonization with synthetic communities of microbes. We demonstrated that abundant bacteria inhabiting young leaves promote individual leaf growth.
By analysing and sequencing the RNA molecules in the leaf the team uncovered a genetic circuit related to plant defence that controls microbiota effect on individual leaf growth.
Dr Castrillo continues: “We consider that the mechanism discovered here is responsible for balancing the growth of different leaves through differential activation of the growth-defense trade-off. We predict that this mechanism intersects with other branches of the leaf growth regulatory network to establish a hierarchy of biotic or abiotic stress responses to ensure plant survival in nature where the present of multiple stresses is frequent.
We envision that it might now be possible to optimise endogenous growth and defence trade-off mechanisms in crops such as maize via engineering leaf microbiota to increase plant growth in poor soils without compromising the plant鈥檚 defence against pathogens.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Gabriel Castrillo on Gabriel.Castrillo@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.