Facilitating crops, using additional fertilizers or watering without the use of pesticides is on the agenda of the agriculture and horticulture sectors. Scientists from three Dutch and Belgian universities say they have made some progress. This includes a computer model that can explain the growth of plant roots. The results were published this week in a scientific journal Growth cell.
The researchers did not start empty-handed. There are already some computer models and hypotheses about how a single root and side roots are formed. “But all of these models have somehow missed out on the mark,” said Christian Tenth Tucher, a theoretical biologist at Utrecht University.
According to Tucher, the gap between these models and real plant experiments is vast. She and her co-worker G give a wider and more realistic picture than Gent and Wagmingen.
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Herbal hormones
Thanks to the new model, it will be clear how the lateral roots emerge from the main root of the hormone plant. Assistants. As the root of a plant grows, the amount of this hormone changes from time to time at the base of the plant. When the hormone levels are high, root cells are formed.
If the conditions are right, those cells can later grow to the side. Cells with low hormone levels do not develop that ability.
Storm patterns
In the new model, those steps, and everything that goes along with them, are synchronized in minutes. According to Asen Tuscher, “We have figured out in detail what the root looks like in our model and how oxycodone is transported. The model lists the process of growth, the location of stem cells, and the cells that divide rapidly, those that stop dividing, or those that expand themselves. The model shows the results of the interaction of all these processes.
In the model, plant hormone and lateral root waves are formed. After understanding how wave patterns were created, the researchers went to work to verify the predictions made by the model. They did this after several experiments and it was confirmed that this was the case after several months of repeated attempts.
Better breeding methods
According to the researchers, a better understanding of root growth can lead to more targeted crops in the future that will be better suited to the conditions and requirements of farmers. For example, one type of soil contains more nitrate and phosphate than another. In some soils, the roots must be deep enough to receive water. In other soils, most nutrients are present. The computer model can also perfect this interaction of plants, roots, soil and other environmental conditions.
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