Abstract: Among the wide variety of roots in plants, adventitious roots are post-embryonic roots developing on aerial tissues unlike lateral roots that develop on existing roots. Adventitious roots can develop as an adaptive response to various stress or as a means of propagating asexually in unfavorable conditions in nature. Most importantly, these roots are a key limiting factor during the clonal propagation of various agricultural crops including apples, berries, maize, rice and many others. Recent studies have identified various molecular regulators including phytohormones and genes that regulate adventitious rooting in Arabidopsis thaliana and other species. Although light has been suggested to participate during adventitious rooting, not much is known about this regulation (Gutierrez et al., 2009; Sorin et al., 2005). In this project, we will explore the role of light during adventitious root formation in A. thaliana using molecular biology, microscopy and genetic approaches.
Supervisor: Priyanka Mishra and Catherine Bellini, Department of Plant Physiology, UmU
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