Grasses, whose members constitute key food and bioenergy crops worldwide, use unique developmental programs to establish the root system from the shoot. Shoot-borne crown roots originate near the soil surface and provide the main conduits through which the plant takes up water and nutrients. We show that crown root development is the major target of drought stress signaling. Water deficit-triggered crown root arrest provides an important mechanism to conserve water under drought, and this response is widely conserved across grass species. Substantial phenotypic variation exists in maize for this trait, which may be a useful target in breeding efforts to improve drought tolerance.

Abstract