Plants use their roots to measure manganese concentration available in the soil

Arabidopsis seedlings have been exposed to manganese deficiency, and cytosolic calcium dynamics have been visualized utilizing the GCaMP6f-mCherry calcium biosensor. The calcium dynamics in roots are presented as false color images for selected timepoints after onset of manganese deficiency ( from left ). WWU - AG Kudla Researchers show for the first time: a specific group of cells in the tip of the root reacts to a manganese deficiency Every living organism needs the element manganese as an essential nutrient. In plants, for example, it plays a major role in breaking down water into oxygen and hydrogen during photosynthesis. A team of German and Chinese researchers are the first to demonstrate, using the model species thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), how plants sense manganese deficiency and which processes then take place in the plant at the molecular level. The researchers showed that a hitherto undetected group of cells in the plant root plays a decisive role. The researchers hope that the results of their work will in the future lead to methods for making plants more resistant to manganese deficiency - a condition which often occurs in alkaline and calcareous soils.