The underground tango: How ethylene and auxin interact to regulate cereal root angle

Roots are the underground navigation system of the plant.From flooding-prone regions to droughtsusceptible areas and nutrient-poor soils, root architecture drives acclimation and stress mitigation.Roots optimize water acquisition in drought conditions by changing root growth angle and directing roots towards deeper soil layers, avoiding drought in upper soil layers and accessing water in deeper soil.Flooded rice plants adjust the root angle and grow away from darkness, therefore avoiding deeper soil with lower oxygen concentrations; and they grow away from light, thereby mitigating desiccation upon water retrieval (Pedersen et al., 2020).These root angle adjustments direct the root growth to the area close to the soil surface.