Quantitative analysis of root growth mechanism using micro artificial-soil devices

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H05974
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Nano/Microsystems
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Hida Hirotaka 神戸大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (60402509)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: マイクロ・ナノ科学 / 生物物理 / Micro TAS / Plant-on-a-chip

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Roots are essential organs for plants to take up water and nutrients, thus studying the strategies of growing roots might be contribution to improvement of the crop productivity and biomass. In this study, we developed novel analytical methods for characterizing the mechanisms of growing roots by using micro artificial-soil devices. By using our analytical methods, we quantitatively clarified that the roots of plant to prefer lower mechanical stress conditions. In addition, we confirmed that the root elongation was drastically decreased or suppressed under the high mechanical stress conditions. We also measured the driving forces generated by the root growth under restrained conditions assuming the soil environments and quantitatively estimated the Young’s modulus of the growing roots based on the buckling analysis using a simple structure model.

Free Research Field

マイクロ・ナノデバイス