Project Details
Projekt
Spatial and temporal analysis of maize root gene expression to elucidate how the maize interacts with the rhizosphere microbiome and the environment
Applicant
Professor Dr. Mika Tarkka
Subject Area
Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
Term
since 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 403641192
The central aim of the SPP 2089 phase 2 associated continuation project application Tarkka (P8) is to reveal mechanisms how maize roots adapt to changes in soil environment, and how the adaptations contribute to rhizosphere processes at a single root type and at root system levels. Based on the special importance of substrate, observed in the first phase, the project aims at a more precise understanding of the substrate induced changes in gene expression. It concerns soil compaction that is an important factor for agricultural production and. Carbon allocation that represents an important modifier of plant defence response and rhizosphere functioning, and is also related to maize gene expression. Our data suggest that the changes related to substrate and soil depth may be related to differences in soil moisture. Drought events are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity and cause a challenge for agricultural production, and this aspect is included to the research program. To address the impacts of substrate, soil depth and maize genotype at a higher scale, the annual development of the maize field is included in the frame of Complex Sampling among the participants of the priority program. First, the influence of soil compaction and the initial particle size distribution on maize gene expression is evaluated by RNA sequencing, along with characterization of enzyme activities and root anatomy. The second experiment focuses on the importance of resource allocation as a modifier of plant microbe-interactions related gene expression. This concerns two bulk soil densities and the presence and absence of nutrient patches. The impacts of short term and long term drought periods are subsequently investigated. Finally, to examine annual changes in maize gene expression at the field scale, the project uses a common sampling frame of the Soil Plot Experiment. The project aims at mechanistic insights into the feedback loops between gene expression regulation in maize roots, the structure and function of rhizosphere microbiome, exudate production, soil parameters, plant nutrient levels, and root hair formation.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
