Roots provide the primary mechanism that plants use to absorb water and nutrients from their environment. These functions are dependent on developmental mechanisms that direct root growth and branching into regions of soil where these resources are relatively abundant. Water is the most limiting factor for plant growth, and its availability is determined by the weather, soil structure, and salinity. In this review, we define the developmental pathways that regulate the direction of growth and branching pattern of the root system, which together determine the expanse of soil from which a plant can access water. The ability of plants to regulate development in response to the spatial distribution of water is a focus of many recent studies and provides a model for understanding how biological systems utilize positional cues to affect signaling and morphogenesis. A better understanding of these processes will inform approaches to improve crop water use efficiency to more sustainably feed a growing population.

中文翻译：

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根系系统对水和盐分的发育响应。

根是植物从环境中吸收水分和养分的主要机制。这些功能取决于指导根生长和分支到这些资源相对丰富的土壤区域的发育机制。水分是植物生长的最主要限制因素，其可用性取决于天气，土壤结构和盐度。在这篇综述中，我们定义了调节根系生长方向和分支模式的发育途径，这些途径共同决定了植物可从中获取水分的土壤的广阔范围。植物响应水的空间分布而调节发育的能力是许多近期研究的重点，并为理解生物系统如何利用位置线索影响信号传导和形态发生提供了模型。对这些过程的更好理解将为提高作物用水效率以更可持续地为不断增长的人口提供食物的方法提供参考。