Hemp's roots and leaves mount separate survival strategies when phosphorus runs low
Wee Y B, Jost R, Whelan J, Berkowitz O
Crop Improvement
Hemp grown on marginal or depleted soils could be bred to thrive with less fertilizer, reducing the runoff that clouds streams and smothers aquatic plants downstream from farm fields.
When hemp plants can't get enough phosphorus from the soil, they kick off a coordinated response across their roots, leaves, and flowers, each organ doing something different to cope. Scientists tracked which genes switch on or off in each part of the plant and found a kind of 'master switch' gene in the leaves that tells the plant to keep funneling resources toward making seeds even when nutrients are scarce. The roots, meanwhile, physically reshape themselves and use hormones to hunt for phosphorus more efficiently.
Key Findings
WGCNA identified 12 co-expression modules across hemp organs; 2 modules (leaf- and root-specific) were strongly correlated with phosphorus status and overlapped significantly with genes selected during Cannabis domestication.
SPX DOMAIN GENE3 (SPX3) was identified as a central hub gene in leaf tissue coordinating the shoot phosphate starvation response and prioritization of resources toward reproductive organs.
Strigolactone hormones and transcription factors from the SCARECROW-LIKE (SCL) family drive root system architecture remodeling under phosphate deficiency, revealing a hormone-mediated tolerance mechanism in hemp.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers mapped the gene networks that help hemp plants cope with low phosphorus in soil, finding distinct organ-specific responses in leaves and roots, and identifying a key gene (SPX3) that coordinates how the plant redirects resources toward reproduction when nutrients run short.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Co-expression analysis identifies organ-specific gene regulatory networks responsive to phosphate limitation in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.).
Cannabis sativa L. is a compelling model species for studying how human selection has shaped plant traits through domestication. Cannabis hemp-type varieties are grown for fibre and seed, whereas d...
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Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants on Earth. It was also one of the first plants...