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On the Inside

The developmental plasticity of the root system is influenced by environmental factors, including the heterogeneous content of minerals such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen in the soil. In addition to responding to environmental stimuli, however, plants also respond to other plants growing in close proximity. Several studies have shown that roots respond to plant neighbors in a very specific manner depending on the identity of the neighbors. Intercropping is a widely used agricultural system that contributes to more than 50% of the agriculture productivity in developing countries. So far, no studies concerning plant recognition in intercropping systems have been performed. Fang et al. (pp. 1277– 1285) have examined what happens to the architecture of the root systems of maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) in an intercropping system. They first examined the plant growth responses to P stress of two maize varieties intercropped with soybean in the field and then grew the same plant species in a transparent gel system in which they were able, by means of a three-dimensional scanning laser, to reconstruct the plant root system in three dimensions. These measurements revealed the dynamic in situ root behavior in a nondestructive manner in response to different P treatments. They found that nonkin recognition between maize and soybean plants varied between genotypes. When the maize variety GZ1 (but not maize NE1) was grown with soybean HX3, the roots on each plant tended to avoid each other and became shallower on stratified P supply. This response decreased with increasing distance between plants, suggesting that root interactions were important. This root segregation happened before individual roots came in direct contact with each other. The advantages of root avoidance in maize/soybean intercropping for maize growth under conditions of close planting distance may be a consequence of long-term domestication in an intercropping system under limited soil nutrient conditions and close planting distances.