Shoot Responses to Root Stress - A Resource Gathering Point of View    (View PDF)

D.S. Neuman

Abstract: Understanding the control and integration of resource gathering is one of the primary problems in plant physiology today. Information on the interactions between root stresses and whole plant i ntegration is scant. The theme I have examined i s that plants are resource gatherers and that carbon gathering is coupled to the integration between roots (sinks) and shoots (sources). Plants mu st balance resource acquisition between roots and shoots. Environmental stress can alter the gathering ability of organs. It is possible that major mechanisms to maintain the balance of resource acquisition between roots and shoots include monitoring of carbon flow and changes in the flux of root sourced metabolites which may function as biochemical messengers. In studies of suboptimal root environments, it appears that decreased sink strength of the roots influences the export of assimilates out of leaves, resulting in the accumulation of leaf metabolites. This may work in conjunction with changes in the flow of metabolites from roots to leaves. It is possible that these mechanisms form part of the basic framework of plant responses to environmental stress.

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https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1993.020