Root and tuber crops are becoming more important for their high source of carbohydrates, next to cereals. Despite their commercial impact, there are significant knowledge gaps about the environmental and inherent regulation of storage root (SR) differentiation, due in part to the innate problems of studying storage roots and the lack of a suitable model system for monitoring storage root growth. The research presented here aimed to develop a reliable, low-cost effective system that enables the study of the factors influencing cassava storage root initiation and development. We explored simple, low-cost systems for the study of storage root biology. An aeroponics system described here is ideal for real-time monitoring of storage root development (SRD), and this was further validated using hormone studies. Our aeroponics-based auxin studies revealed that storage root initiation and development are adaptive responses, which are significantly enhanced by the exogenous auxin supply. Field and histological experiments were also conducted to confirm the auxin effect found in the aeroponics system. We also developed a simple digital imaging platform to quantify storage root growth and development traits. Correlation analysis confirmed that image-based estimation can be a surrogate for manual root phenotyping for several key traits. The aeroponic system developed from this study is an effective tool for examining the root architecture of cassava during early SRD. The aeroponic system also provided novel insights into storage root formation by activating the auxin-dependent proliferation of secondary xylem parenchyma cells to induce the initial root thickening and bulking. The developed system can be of direct benefit to molecular biologists, breeders, and physiologists, allowing them to screen germplasm for root traits that correlate with improved economic traits.

中文翻译：

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一种用于贮藏根发育的低成本气培表型系统：解开木薯地下秘密（Manihot esculenta）

块根和块茎作物因其高碳水化合物来源而变得越来越重要，仅次于谷物。尽管具有商业影响，但关于贮藏根 (SR) 分化的环境和内在调控仍存在显着的知识空白，部分原因是研究贮藏根的先天问题以及缺乏用于监测贮藏根生长的合适模型系统。本文介绍的研究旨在开发一种可靠、低成本、有效的系统，从而能够研究影响木薯贮藏根部起始和发育的因素。我们探索了用于研究贮藏根生物学的简单、低成本的系统。此处描述的气培系统非常适合实时监测贮藏根发育 (SRD)，并且使用激素研究进一步验证了这一点。我们基于气培法的生长素研究表明，贮藏根的起始和发育是适应性反应，外源生长素供应显着增强了这种反应。还进行了现场和组织学实验以确认在气培系统中发现的生长素效应。我们还开发了一个简单的数字成像平台来量化储存根的生长和发育特征。相关分析证实，基于图像的估计可以替代几个关键性状的手动根表型。本研究开发的气培系统是在早期 SRD 期间检查木薯根系结构的有效工具。气培系统还通过激活次生木质部薄壁细胞的生长素依赖性增殖来诱导初始根增厚和膨胀，从而为储存根的形成提供了新的见解。开发的系统可以直接使分子生物学家、育种者和生理学家受益，使他们能够筛选种质中与改良的经济性状相关的根性状。