Crop loss due to soil salinization is an increasing threat to agriculture worldwide. This review
provides an overview of cellular and physiological mechanisms in plant responses to salt …

We present unresolved questions in plant abiotic stress biology as posed by 15 research
groups with expertise spanning eco-physiology to cell and molecular biology. Common …

Optimal plant development requires root uptake of 14 essential mineral elements from the
soil. Since the bioavailability of these nutrients underlies large variation in space and time …

Asymmetry of investment in crop research leads to knowledge gaps and lost opportunities to
accelerate genetic gain through identifying new sources and combinations of traits and …

Plant roots exhibit plasticity in their branching patterns to forage efficiently for
heterogeneously distributed resources, such as soil water. The xerobranching response …

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 …

Plants adapt to heterogeneous soil conditions by altering their root architecture. For
example, roots branch when in contact with water by using the hydropatterning response …

Root system architecture is an important determinant of below-ground resource capture and
hence overall plant fitness. The plant hormone auxin plays a central role in almost every …

Increasing soil salinization largely impacts crop yield worldwide. To deal with salinity stress,
plants exhibit an array of responses, including root system architecture remodelling. Here …

The main functions of plant roots are water and nutrient uptake, soil anchorage, and
interaction with soil-living biota. Root hairs, single cell tubular extensions of root epidermal …