Layer against drought

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An extra layer against drought

The suberin is a fatty layer between the cell membrane and the cell wall. In roots plants develop this layer either in the outermost or second outermost cell layer. American researchers now show in Nature Plants that in tomato plants this layer helps the plants to deal with drought.

The forming suberin is one of the ways how plants adapt to its environment. Circumstances determine the thickness of this layer. What makes studying this layer extra complex is that it is not always formed by the same cell types. Sometimes it is created by the outermost and sometimes by the second outermost cell layer. To gain somewhat more clarity about this, the researchers studied the forming and effect of subarin in tomato plants.

Like in tale cress plants, in tomato plants subarin is formed by its outermost cells of the root. Only this is different cell type. Tomato plant roots have an extra cell type that form the outermost cell layer of the roots. But like in tale cress roots, the outermost cell layer of tomato plant roots do acquire slowly a suberin layer when maturing.

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Drought resistance can lay in a thin layer

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With this the researchers could find out which genes the tomato plants need to develop suberin. In Absence of these genes the roots formed a less and less well suberin layer.

In addition the researchers noticed that in absence of the suberin genes, the plants reacted less well to their environment. Not only made the plants less suberin during water shortages. They also could not keep hold of the absorbed water.

This research shows that a better ability to deal with drought can lie in a thin layer. This gives breeders a new direction for the development of drought resistant plants.

Literature

Cantó-Pastor, A., Kajala, K., Shaar-Moshe, L. et al. A suberized exodermis is required for tomato drought tolerance. Nat. Plants (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01567-x

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