Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2021, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (6): 761-773.DOI: 10.11983/CBB21054

• SPECIAL TOPICS • Previous Articles    

Research Progress on Apoplast Barriers of Plant Roots

Xin Liu, Pei Wang(), Qingping Zhou   

  1. Collaborative Innovation Center for Ecological Animal Husbandry of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Sichuan Provincial Stress Resistant Forage Germplasm Innovation and Ecological Restoration Engineering Laboratory, Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
  • Received:2021-03-25 Accepted:2021-06-18 Online:2021-11-01 Published:2021-11-12
  • Contact: Pei Wang

Abstract: Root is the most important organ of plants to absorb water and mineral nutrients for maintaining life activities. The architecture and ultrastructure of roots are species specific with different effects on the water and mineral nutrients absorption. Among them, suberin lamellae and Casparian strip in the endodermis and exodermis are two important apoplast barriers, which block water and ions transport nondirectionally and play important roles in the plant growth and response to stress. However, the structure, chemical composition, physiological functions, biosynthesis and regulation of root apoplast barriers are only studied in Arabidopsis thaliana. In recent years, studies of root apoplast barriers in barley (Hordeum vulgare), rice (Oryza sativa) and some forages have just been reported. In this review, the research progress of root apoplast barriers in A. thaliana, barley, rice and some forages in recent years are compared, and the future research direction is put forward in order to provide a theoretical basis for further exploring the roles of apoplastic barriers of gramineous crops and forages in growth, development and stress adaptation, and provide new ideas for crop and forage breeding.

Key words: apoplast barriers, Casparian strip, root anatomical structure, suberin lamellae