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Functions of rhizosheath on facilitating the uptake of water and nutrients under drought stress: A review

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Abstract

Background and Aims

The optimal management of plant nutrition is an effective strategy for sustainable agriculture under various conditions. Soil drying is one of the main limiting factors for plant nutrient acquisition. Plants imposed to these limitations have evolved several strategies such as modifying root-to-shoot ratio, modifying their root anatomy, modifying microbial diversity, and engineering their surrounding soil via rhizodeposition and rhizosheath formation. Rhizosheath is referred to as the soil that remained attached to the root system after being removed from the soil and shacked. Here we reviewed the processes contributing to rhizosheath formation and the mechanisms underlying how it affected the plant's ability to uptake water and nutrients.

Methods

To shed light on the unexplored aspects of rhizosheath and identify potential research directions, we conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant literature on the mechanisms of rhizosheath formation and its impacts on water and nutrient uptake.

Results

The results showed that the presence of mucilage, root hairs and dry-rewetting cycles play a vital role in the formation and strength of rhizosheath. Rhizosheath enables plants to adapt to their environment by keeping the soil and roots hydraulically connected during a soil drying cycle and promoting water and nutrients uptake at the roots-soil interface.

Conclusion

It is concluded that the rhizosheath is the most chemically and biologically active part of the soil. Breeding plants to strengthen their ability to form stable rhizosheath may be one solution to achieving a sustainable agricultural system and maintaining agricultural production under drought stress.

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Data availability

Data are available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback on the first version of our manuscript. Their insightful comments and constructive recommendations and suggestions were fundamental in shaping the final version of this work.

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  1. Department of Soil Science, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Meysam Cheraghi

  2. Soil and Water Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

    Seyed Majid Mousavi

  3. Professorship of Soil Biophysics and Environmental Systems, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Mohsen Zarebanadkouki

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  3. Mohsen Zarebanadkouki
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Cheraghi, M., Mousavi, S.M. & Zarebanadkouki, M. Functions of rhizosheath on facilitating the uptake of water and nutrients under drought stress: A review. Plant Soil 491, 239–263 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06126-z

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