Genetic and histological analysis of root branching in maize

To feed an ever-increasing world population while the availability of fertile soils is shrinking, there is a rising need for an increase in plant biomass production. One of the strategies to enhance plant yield is the optimization of the root system. A deep and highly branched root system for instance is more efficient in scavenging the minerals scattered throughout the soil, and its increased foraging capacity can help to overcome periods of water scarcity. With Arabidopsis thaliana as a model, scientists have made important progress in disentangling the mechanisms controlling root branching. However, when it comes to economically important crops such as maize, our understanding of processes as lateral root formation is still fragmentary. The aim of this project was to characterize the early events occurring during lateral root initiation in maize at a histological and genetic level. Further, we wanted to identify genes which could enhance maize root branching, and thereby would increase the resistance of plants to water deprivation. Therefore a transcriptomic approach was used in combination with the synchronized induction of lateral roots. We selected genes with a potentially conserved role in lateral root initiation in maize and Arabidopsis. The effect of the transgene expression on root growth was characterised in Arabidopsis seedlings, while analysis of transgenic rice plants was performed to study the consequences of the transgene on biomass and seed yield under water deprivation