We know that maize roots chase after phosphorus, but how? Xin Wang and colleagues have been investigating what purpose the hormone auxin has in controlling root proliferation. Their work could help better understand how...
Root interactions among plants play an important role in promoting nutrient uptake, enhancing the performance of neighbouring individuals and thus plant fitness in natural communities and agroecological systems. Plants...
Shade-intolerant plants need to be able to grow shoots rapidly. New research shows that the shoots are successful because of preparations below ground.
Temperate forests have experienced surges in nitrogen supply since pre-industrial times, together with understory disruptions such as invasions and declines of formerly abundant species. Caplan et al. suggest that there...
Root morphological/physiological modifications are important for phosphorus (P) acquisition of plants under P deficiency, but strategies differ among plant species, and detailed studies on the response of maize roots to...
Increasing attention is being focused on the influence of rapid increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration on nutrient cycling in ecosystems. An understanding of how elevated CO2 affects plant utilization and...
Traits affecting the form and function of fine roots in woody plants show complex phenotypic variation. Lee et al. manipulate root segments of 2-year-old Acer rubrum and Quercus rubra seedlings in order to compare...
Suriyagoda et al. investigate root and shoot responses of three perennial legumes (Cullen cinereum, Kennedia nigricans and Lotus australis) to a range of temperatures at limited phosphorus supply and find that faster...