In vitro and ex vitro rooting of gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) microshoots with or without indolic-3-butyric acid (IBA) was studied in order to improve acclimatization of microplants after root formation and transplantation. Peroxidase (POD) activity and isoforms, lignin content and anatomical observations were evaluated in the course of the three interdependent phases (induction, initiation and expression) of microshoot rooting. Microshoots treated or not treated with IBA achieved high rooting percentages both in vitro and ex vitro. At the end of the 2-week acclimatization period, the percentage of surviving microplants ranged from 80% to 100%, for in vitro and ex vitro rooted microshoots, respectively. Microshoots rooted in vitro and ex vitro showed a relationship between rooting and POD activity but in a different time course. It appeared that root formation occurred after the microshoots had reached and passed a peak of maximum enzyme activity. In all treatments, electrophoretic analysis (native PAGE) of PODs revealed the appearance of one anionic and three cationic POD isoforms (C(1), C(3) and C(4)). An additional cationic POD isoform (C(2)) appeared only in the ex vitro rooting. The lignin content was similar in microshoots rooted both in vitro and ex vitro. The sequential anatomical changes during the rooting process were similar in both in vitro and ex vitro rooting treatments. In the case of in vitro rooting, pith cells had vacuoles entirely filled with a dark substance, while in the case of ex vitro rooting, pith cells contained many amyloplasts. The origin of the adventitious roots, in both rooting conditions, was located in the cambial ring. Roots with organized tissue systems emerged from the microshoot stem 10-14 days after the root induction treatments; on day 10 for rooting in vitro, while a 4-day delay was noted in microshoots rooted ex vitro.

The aim of this study was to determine the role of nitrogen- and storage-affected carbohydrate availability in rooting of pelargonium cuttings, focusing on the environmental conditions of stock plant cultivation at low latitudes, transport of cuttings, and rooting under the low light that prevails during the winter rooting period in Central European greenhouses.Carbohydrate partitioning in high-light-adapted cuttings of the cultivar 'Isabell' was studied in relation to survival and adventitious root formation under low light. Effects of a graduated supply of mineral nitrogen to stock plants and of cutting storage were examined.Nitrogen deficiency raised starch levels in excised cuttings, whereas the concentrations of glucose and total sugars in leaves and the basal stem were positively correlated with internal total nitrogen (Nt). Storage reduced starch to trace levels in all leaves, but sugar levels were only reduced in tissues of non-nitrogen deficient cuttings. Sugars accumulated in the leaf lamina of stored cuttings during the rooting period, whereas carbohydrates were simultaneously exhausted in all other cutting parts including the petioles, thereby promoting leaf senescence. The positive correlation between initial Nt and root number disappeared after storage. Irrespectively of storage, higher pre-rooting leaf glucose promoted subsequent sugar accumulation in the basal stem and final root number. The positive relationships between initial sugar levels in the stems with cutting survival and in leaves with root formation under low light were confirmed in a sample survey with 21 cultivars provided from different sources at low latitudes.The results indicate that adventitious rooting of pelargonium cuttings can be limited by the initial amount of nitrogen reserves. However, this relationship reveals only small plasticity and is superimposed by a predominant effect of carbohydrate availability that depends on the initial leaf sugar levels, when high-light adaptation and low current light conditions impair net carbon assimilation.

Root hair initiation involves the formation of a bulge at the basal end of the trichoblast by localized diffuse growth. Tip growth occurs subsequently at this initiation site and is accompanied by the establishment of a polarized cytoplasmic organization. Arabidopsis plants homozygous for a complete loss-of-function tiny root hair 1 (trh1) mutation were generated by means of the T-DNA-tagging method. Trichoblasts of trh1 plants form initiation sites but fail to undergo tip growth. A predicted primary structure of TRH1 indicates that it belongs to the AtKT/AtKUP/HAK K(+) transporter family. The proposed function of TRH1 as a K(+) transporter was confirmed in (86)Rb uptake experiments, which demonstrated that trh1 plants are partially impaired in K(+) transport. In line with these results, TRH1 was able to complement the trk1 potassium transporter mutant of Saccharomyces, which is defective in high-affinity K(+) uptake. Surprisingly, the trh1 phenotype was not restored when mutant seedlings were grown at high external potassium concentrations. These data demonstrate that TRH1 mediates K(+) transport in Arabidopsis roots and is responsible for specific K(+) translocation, which is essential for root hair elongation.

Vegetative propagation of economically important woody, horticultural and agricultural species rely on an efficient adventitious root (AR) formation. The formation of ARs is a complex genetic trait regulated by the interaction of environmental and endogenous factors among which the phytohormone auxin plays an essential role. This article summarizes the current knowledge related to the intricate network through which auxin controls adventitious rooting. How auxin and recently identified auxin-related compounds affect AR formation in different plant species is discussed. Particular attention is addressed to illustrate how auxin has a central role in the hormone cross-talk leading to AR development. In parallel, we describe the molecular players involved in the control of auxin homeostasis, transport and signaling, for a better understanding of the auxin action during adventitious rooting. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

The plant hormone auxin is frequently observed to be asymmetrically distributed across adjacent cells during crucial stages of growth and development. These auxin gradients depend on polar transport and regulate a wide variety of processes, including embryogenesis, organogenesis, vascular tissue differentiation, root meristem maintenance and tropic growth. Auxin can mediate such a perplexing array of developmental processes by acting as a general trigger for the change in developmental program in cells where it accumulates and by providing vectorial information to the tissues by its polar intercellular flow. In recent years, a wealth of molecular data on the mechanism of auxin transport and its regulation has been generated, providing significant insights into the action of this versatile coordinative signal.

The woody species kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa A. Chev.), a male and late flowering clone of the cv Hayward, has been transformed by a T-DNA fragment encompassing rol A, B, C genes of A. rhizogenes. Transgenic plants, regenerated from leaf disc callus, showed the typical "hairy root" phenotype as described in herbaceous species. Explants from these plants (both leaf discs or 3 to 4 node leafy microcuttings) showed an increased ability to produce roots. Since root formation is one of the limiting factors in the vegetative propagation of woody species, the results have been discussed in relation to the use of A. rhizogenes rol genes in improving root morphogenesis in trees.

In both radish and Arabidopsis, lateral root initiation involves a series of rapid divisions in pericycle cells located on the xylem radius of the root. In Arabidopsis, the number of pericycle cells that divide to form a primordium was estimated to be about 11. To determine the stage at which primordia are able to function as root meristems, primordia of different stages were excised and cultured without added hormones. Under these conditions, primordia that consist of 2 cell layers fail to develop while primordia that consist of at least 3-5 cell layers develop as lateral roots. We hypothesize that meristem formation is a two-step process involving an initial period during which a population of rapidly dividing, approximately isodiametric cells that constitutes the primordium is formed, and a subsequent stage during which meristem organization takes place within the primordium.