An actual on/off switch for plant growth?

Arabidopsis root tip cells stained with a red dye. Image on the right shows increased cell division when IRK is inhibited. (Jaimie Van Norman/UCR)

Article Highlights

New research from UC Riverside identifies a protein that controls plant growth — good news for an era in which crops can get crushed by climate change
The research demonstrates that turning off the gene producing IRK causes an increase in the number of times the plant’s root cells divide. Additional cells can lead to bigger roots, and perhaps to plants that are better at taking up nutrients from the soil and grow larger
There may be some instances in which farmers also want to limit plant growth. For example, keeping weeds small, or trying to pause crop growth until a severe storm passes. IRK can be instrumental for achieving both goals
“This discovery gives us another way to control growth,” Van Norman said. “Understanding how the plant itself stops growth can also allow us to accelerate growth.”
This research is notable not only for its potential impact on crop and food security, but also because roots have historically been less well studied than the above-ground parts of plants
Roots are critical for plant survival and for the production of above-ground plant organs such as leaves flowers and fruits. Therefore, understanding their function and development is critical in efforts to improve crop productivity
“It may be the case that by understanding what happens when the IRK-producing gene is turned off, we can make root growth less sensitive to soil conditions that pose a threat to food security,” Van Norman said.

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