Substantial efforts to characterize the structural and functional diversity of soil, plant and
insect-associated microbial communities have illuminated the complex interacting domains of …

Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) causes the reduction, but not absence, of disease,
and is a major type of disease resistance for many crop species. QDR results in a continuous …

The geometries and topologies of leaves, flowers, roots, shoots, and their arrangements
have fascinated plant biologists and mathematicians alike. As such, plant morphology is …

The ability to nondestructively image and automatically phenotype complex root systems,
like those of rice (Oryza sativa), is fundamental to identifying genes underlying root system …

Background Characterizing root system architecture (RSA) is essential to understanding the
development and function of vascular plants. Identifying RSA-associated genes also …

Identification of genes that control root system architecture in crop plants requires innovations
that enable high-throughput and accurate measurements of root system architecture …

Stress responses in plants are tightly coordinated with developmental processes, but
interaction of these pathways is poorly understood. We used genome-wide assays at high …

Root system growth and development is highly plastic and is influenced by the surrounding
environment. Roots frequently grow in heterogeneous environments that include interactions …

… We thank members of the Iyer-Pascuzzi lab for comments on the manuscript, C. Gilpin for
help with SEM, MA Webb for equipment use, and Purdue University start-up funds for …

Highlights • Stem cell maintenance in the root apical meristem is maintained by the combined
action of transcription factors, hormones and small peptides. • Mathematical modeling is …