Root system distribution and root-to-shoot signalling
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- QAAFI Science Seminar
Presented by Dr Ian Dodd
Lancaster Environment Centre, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
Plant roots sense their environment, alter their metabolism and transmit chemical signals via the xylem to the shoots to regulate shoot physiology (so called 'root-to-shoot signalling'), especially in response to changes in soil water availability. Variation in irrigation placement and frequency is used in techniques such as alternate wetting and drying, partial root zone drying and regulated deficit irrigation, in aiming to improve crop water use efficiency by exploiting root-to-shoot signalling. However, signalling responses depend to a large extent on root system distribution (which can be cultivar-specific), as this determines the proportion of the root system exposed to drying soil. There is considerable scope to alter both crop rooting patterns and root-to-shoot signalling either genetically or via irrigation management to improve crop water use efficiency.
About Dr Ian Dodd
Dr Ian Dodd is a Reader in Sustainable Agriculture at the Lancaster Environment Centre, and Handling Editors for the journals Journal of Experimental Botany and Plant and Soil. He grew up on a QDPI research farm in Stanthorpe, and did a B Sc in Botany at the University of Queensland (UQ). He completed his PhD at Lancaster University (UK) in 1996 where he evaluated the sensitivity of leaf growth to abscisic acid, before returning to work as a researcher at UQ. Since 2001, he has been based at Lancaster where his research has aimed to understand how different irrigation techniques affect root-to-shoot signalling and crop production. More generally, he is interested in understanding how the various countries he has worked in (Australia, Singapore, Spain, and the UK) overcome their specific food security challenges.
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