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Root Growth Patterns and Morphometric Change Based on the Growth Media

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Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana roots skew with minimal waving in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. Root skewing and root waving have been studied on the ground as well as in spaceflight, but often using different media types. In this study, Arabidopsis seedlings were grown on nutrient media plates that were comprised of various gelling agents with varied hardness in order to better assess these media for spaceflight research experiments. ImageJ was used to quantify the root morphology of 8-dayold seedlings, while R was used to perform statistical analyses. Root growth was drastically different between Difco agar, agarose, and Phytagel. Additionally, root waving masked skewing in certain media. Regression analysis revealed overall patterns when organized by hardness but also revealed that differences in media type had more of an impact on root growth than hardness itself. Different arrangements of media around the root tip revealed that roots grown on the media surface were longer and had fewer waves per millimeter than roots grown embedded in media. The implications for spaceflight research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Andrew Schuerger, James Colee, and Ryan Schultz for their ideas and discussions to help improve this manuscript. The experimental work presented here is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration grants NNX12AN69G and NNX07AH27G to A-L Paul and R.J. Ferl and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Training Grant NNX15AI10H to Florida Space Grant Consortium to E.R. Schultz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Eric R. Schultz, Anna-Lisa Paul & Robert J. Ferl

  2. Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Eric R. Schultz, Anna-Lisa Paul & Robert J. Ferl

  3. Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    Robert J. Ferl

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  1. Eric R. Schultz
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  2. Anna-Lisa Paul
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Correspondence to Robert J. Ferl.

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Schultz, E.R., Paul, AL. & Ferl, R.J. Root Growth Patterns and Morphometric Change Based on the Growth Media. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 28, 621–631 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-016-9514-9

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