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Controlling Plants with Roots
How to control root regeneration
Roots are essential organs of many plants, and root injuries heal quickly. This is because a mechanism is at work that maintains the biomass ratio between the roots and the above-ground parts at a constant value. At this laboratory, we have clarified the root regeneration mechanism and have demonstrated the possibility that technology can control the biomass ratio.
Research
Root pruning (root cutting) has widely been used in horticulture such as bonsai and fruit tree cultivation to empirically control the above-ground parts by controlling the roots. This is a technique that empirically utilizes the fact that the biomass ratio of the roots to the above-ground parts remains constant. We have discovered YUCCA9, a gene that synthesizes auxin, a plant hormone necessary for root regeneration when roots are cut. In the course of our research, we have been able to combine drugs that pharmacologically inhibit root regeneration, and we have also been able to produce plants with genetic traits that prevent root regeneration from occurring.
Root regeneration is a widespread phenomenon of land plants, and by applying this research to cultivated varieties, it will be possible to increase or decrease the above-ground biomass, which will result in higher yields, labor intensiveness, cost control, and high added value to agricultural and horticultural crop varieties.Masaaki Watahiki Associate Professor
