Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 52, No. 90001, pp. 479-485,
March 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press
Cluster roots: model experimental tools for key biological problems
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
The cluster root is made up of a number of determinate rootlets tightly grouped along the parent root. Each rootlet grows for a limited time, and then the meristem stops dividing and differentiates. Following cessation of growth, an exudative burst occurs, wherein, over 23 d, large amounts of organic acids, as well as phosphatases and phenolics, are exuded from the rootlets. There is a concomitant acidification of the rhizosphere. It is suggested that the temporal and spatial predictability of developmental and functional events in these structures makes them valuable as experimental tools with which to investigate key issues in plant developmental biology, physiology, ecophysiology, evolutionary biology, and biotechnology.
Key words: Cluster roots, plant development, proteoid roots, rhizosphere, root biology, root physiology.
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