Hydrosensing – Page 3 – ERC SYNERGY Project HYDROSENSING

Mar 20

Dynamic interactions at the root–soil interface.(e) high-resolution X-ray computed tomography images reveal how plant roots impact the structural development of the rhizosphere by causing changes in soil pore thickness over time. Panel e adapted from Reference 48 (CC BY 4.0).

Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions

By Hydrosensing Publications

Mehra, P., Banda, J., Ogorek, L. L. P., Fusi, R., Castrillo, G., Colombi, T., ... & Bennett, M. J. (2025). Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 76. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-083123-074506

Feb 24

Fig. 1. Hydropatterning responses revealed in public sector breeding lines of Zea mays (maize)

Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm

By Hydrosensing Publications

Scharwies, J. D., Clarke, T., Zheng, Z., Dinneny, A., Birkeland, S., Veltman, M. A., … & Dinneny, J. R. (2025). Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm. Science, 387(6734), 666-673. https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.ads5999 .

Feb 18

Fig. 1. Hormones mediate root responses to water availability. (A) Under homogeneous water distribution in soil, lateral roots (LRs) develop symmetrically, resulting in a uniform root system. (B) Root tips show hydrotropism and bend towards areas with high water potential. ABA drives asymmetric expansion of cortical cells on the convex side of roots facing low water potential by the action of SnRK2.2. Both ABA and BR promote hydrotropism via the activity of the proton pump AHA2. Cytokinin (in red) exhibits asymmetric distribution at the root tip to regulate hydrotropism. (C) Growing root tips pause branching in air gaps (xerobranching). Lack of moisture triggers ABA release from the stele (st) to the outer root tissues, blocking the radial inward symplastic movement of auxin to pause root branching. ABA-mediated repression is relieved in the presence of water. ep, epidermis; co, cortex; en, endodermis.

Roles of Hormones in Regulating Root Growth-Water Interactions

By Hydrosensing Publications

Sharma, S., Bennett, M. J., & Mehra, P. (2025). Roles of Hormones in Regulating Root Growth-Water Interactions. Journal of Experimental Botany, eraf063 https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf063

Jan 23

Image: graphical abstract. Credit: Current Biology.

ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought

By Hydrosensing Publications

Xiong, Y., Song, X., Mehra, P., Yu, S., Li, Q., Tashenmaimaiti, D., ... & Huang, G. (2025). ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.003

Jan 01

Hydrosensing will be featured on the 39th EPSO Plant Science Seminar

By Hydrosensing News

On 16th January 2025 at 15:00 (CET) Hydrosensing will be featured at the 39th EPSO Plant Science Seminar. We will present four talks exploring “Hydrosensing – an ERC Synergy Grant in Plant Sciences”

Dec 31

Hydropatterning responses revealed in public sector breeding lines of Zea mays (maize). (A and B) Schematic of the (A) hydropatterning response in (B) our custom-built hydropatterning assay. Primary roots of maize seedlings are grown in a vertical position along moist paper while being prevented from growing off the paper by a mesh cover. Lateral root (LR) primordia are preferentially induced towards the water-saturated paper (contact-side) and suppressed on the air-exposed side (air-side). Longitudinal cross-section of maize root (B73 inbred) stained with Calcofluor White (cell walls; gray) and SYBR Green (LRs; green). (C and D) Distribution of (C) contact-(blue) and air-side (white) LR densities from 250 maize inbred lines characterized using the hydropatterning assay and calculated (D) percent air-side LRs (purple). Each inbred line is represented by its median value (n = 1-3 seedlings/inbred) (data S2). Gray lines connect corresponding inbred lines. Population median (white circles). (E) X-ray Computed Tomography showing LR patterning on primary roots of strong (CI64) and weak (OH7B) hydropatterning inbred lines grown through an air-filled macropore in soil.

Maize genetic diversity identifies moisture-dependent root-branch signaling pathways

By Hydrosensing Publications

Scharwies, J. D., Clarke, T., Zheng, Z., Dinneny, A., Birkeland, S., Veltman, M. A., ... & Dinneny, J. R. (2024). Maize genetic diversity identifies moisture-dependent root-branch signaling pathways. bioRxiv, 2024-08. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.26.609741

Dec 31

Roots employ several classes of hormones including rhizocrine signals that spend time outside of plant tissues in the rhizosphere. A schematic diagram illustrating (A) a longitudinal cross-section of a root growing in soil, and (D–E) examples of the contrasting modes of action for different hormone classes (denoted as yellow circles) involving (D) endocrine signalling (i.e. acting in other organs after long-distance transport), and (E) rhizocrine signalling, where this class of hormone moves outside its root source via the soil (denoted by the blue arrow), returning to the root in response to a soil stress (denoted by the red arrow), triggering an adaptive response, denoted by the green arrow and receptor binding of the hormone signal.

Root RADAR: how ‘rhizocrine’signals allow roots to detect and respond to their soil environment and stresses

By Hydrosensing Publications

Pandey, B. K., George, T. S., Cooper, H. V., Sturrock, C. J., Bennett, T., & Bennett, M. J. (2024). Root RADAR: how ‘rhizocrine’signals allow roots to detect and respond to their soil environment and stresses. Journal of Experimental Botany, erae490. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae490

Dec 30

Highlights in gibberellin research: A tale of the dwarf and the slender

By Hydrosensing Publications

Shani, E., Hedden, P., & Sun, T. P. (2024). Highlights in gibberellin research: a tale of the dwarf and the slender. Plant Physiology, 195(1), 111. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiae044

Dec 13

Hydrosensing launches on social media

By Hydrosensing News

We are thrilled to announce the official ONLINE launch of HYDROSENSING, a UE funded project backed by the European Research Council, — a ERC Synergy Project dedicated to unlock the secrets of how plants perceive and adapt to changing water conditions by pinpointing how ABA moves and acts within plants.