A group led by Associate Professor Masaaki Watabiki of the Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University discovered that cutting the roots of a plant promotes the production and transport of auxin, a plant hormone required for plant growth and shaping.
In the traditional Japanese gardening art "Bonsai making", which is popular all over the world, the roots are carefully pruned (root cutting).By cutting the roots, bonsai regenerates young roots in pots that can efficiently absorb water and nutrients.Root damage is an emergency that has a negative effect on plants in the form of dehydration, and cut plants have the property of trying to regenerate roots as soon as possible.Horticulture, including bonsai, makes good use of these plant properties, but so far no attention has been paid to the damage response of roots that cannot be seen in the soil, and research on the mechanism of root regeneration has been conducted. There wasn't.
This time, the group proceeded with research using Arabidopsis thaliana, a cruciferous model plant, using a tightly controlled breeding room.As a result, it was clarified that the auxin synthesis gene called YUCCA9 plays an important role in the root regeneration of Arabidopsis thaliana.Furthermore, the group conducted joint research with Teikyo University and clarified that the amount of auxin in roots is actually increased by root cutting, and that polar transport of auxin is also necessary for root regeneration.
This result is expected to contribute to the development of horticultural and agricultural technologies such as bonsai that require root cutting.
