Crop Root Plasticity for Enhanced Nutrient Acquisition: Mechanisms and Symbiotic Exchange

In the face of escalating global food demand and the constraints of finite arable land, enhancing nutrient use efficiency in crops has become a major challenge for sustainable agriculture. Mineral nutrient scarcity, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen limitation, severely limits crop productivity. To overcome this, plants have evolved sophisticated strategies, especially the modulation of root system architecture, known as root plasticity, to forage more effectively in the soil. In addition, most terrestrial plants, including major crops, form symbiotic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. This ancient partnership allows plants to extend their effective rooting zone and access nutrients beyond the depletion zone of the root. Understanding the physiological and molecular dialogue that governs this dual strategy of architectural adaptation and symbiotic exchange is crucial for developing more nutrient-efficient and resilient crops.

The goal of this Research Topic is to unravel the molecular and physiological mechanisms that regulate root plasticity and symbiotic nutrient exchange in crops. We aim to connect root developmental biology with plant nutrition physiology. By integrating recent advances in genomics, transcriptomics, and cell biology, this collection will identify key genetic determinants and signaling pathways that allow crops to dynamically balance carbon investment with nutrient gain. We seek to provide a comprehensive knowledge base that will inform breeding and biotechnological strategies to enhance nutrient acquisition without compromising yield.

We invite Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Hypothesis and Theory articles. We particularly encourage studies that combine genetic manipulation of root interface traits, including cell wall biosynthesis, with physiological phenotyping to demonstrate causal links between root interface structure and nutrient retention and acquisition efficiency. We encourage contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Transcriptional and post-translational regulation: Studies focusing on transcription factor complexes, regulatory networks, and protein modifications that control the developmental plasticity of roots in response to nutrient heterogeneity.
• Symbiotic nutrient exchange: Research elucidating the transport physiology and molecular mechanisms, including specific transporters and nutrient sensors, governing the exchange of nutrients (P, N) and carbon between the plant host and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
• Physiological adaptations: Investigations into the physiological basis of root foraging strategies, including the role of root exudates and the adaptation of root architecture to nutrient stress environments.
• Crosstalk and signaling: Articles exploring the hormonal and systemic signaling pathways that integrate nutrient status with root growth and symbiotic colonization.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Root Plasticity, Root Barriers, Nutrient Acquisition, Arbuscular Mycorrhiza, Symbiotic Exchange, Transcription Factors.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.