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Application of microinjection techniques to plant nutrition

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Abstract

To gain a full understanding of the complex processes that underlie plant nutrition requires the elucidation of the genetic, molecular, biochemical, biophysical, physiological and environmental factors that interact, at the cellular, organ and whole plant levels, to allow this sessile organism to optimize the allocation and utilization of available resources. The application of microinjection methods, in conjunction with molecular tools, established a powerful experimental approach to elucidate the processes underlying plant growth and development. Besides providing insight into the molecular nature of many of the membrane transport systems that function in nutrient acquisition and transport, this approach revealed the presence of a unique plasmodesmal macromolecular trafficking system that operates at the cellular/tissue and whole-plant level. This information processing network it discussed in terms of its role in allowing plants to regulate physiological activities at a supracellular level. Future studies aimed at identifying additional genes associated with this plasmodesmal macromolecular trafficking system will advance our understanding of the function and evolution of this novel plant communication system.

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  1. Section of Plant Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, U.S.A.

    William J. Lucas

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Lucas, W.J. Application of microinjection techniques to plant nutrition. Plant and Soil 196, 175–189 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004289605333

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