An extended root phenotype: the rhizosphere, its formation and impacts on plant fitness
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Date
2020-04-23
Date Issued
2020-07-29
Contributes to SDGs
ISI Journal
Impact factor: 6.417 (Year: 2020)
Citation
Carla de la Fuente Canto, Marie Simonin, Eoghan King, Lionel Moulin, Malcolm Bennett, Gabriel Castrillo, Laurent Laplaze. (29/7/2020). An extended root phenotype: the rhizosphere, its formation and impacts on plant fitness. Plant Journal, 103 (3), pp. 951-964.
Abstract
Plants forage soil for water and nutrients, whose distribution is patchy and often dynamic. To
improve their foraging activities, plants have evolved mechanisms to modify the physicochemical
properties and microbial communities of the rhizosphere, i.e. the soil compartment under the
influence of the roots. This dynamic interplay in root-soil-microbiome interactions creates
emerging properties that impact plant nutrition and health. As a consequence, the rhizosphere can
be considered an extended root phenotype, a manifestation of the effects of plant genes on their
environment inside and/or outside of the organism. Here, we review current understanding of how
plants shape the rhizosphere and the benefits it confers to plant fitness. We discuss future research
challenges and how applying their solutions in crops will enable us to harvest the benefits of the
extended root phenotype.
