B73 and rth3 maize seedling primary root and root hair transcriptome under adverse phosphorus and water seedbed conditions

A successful plant establishment and subsequently yield formation are already shaped during the young seedling state and depend on the formation of a vigorous root system. However, the seedling is exposed to a potentially hazardous environment. As soon as the radicle comes in contact with the soil, root hairs are formed. The function of these radicle root hairs for nutrient and water uptake is yet poorly understood. The key question of this project is to identify and characterize the molecular role of maize root hairs at an early developmental stage (5 days after sowing) under nutrient-deprived (Phosphorus) and water-limited growth conditions. To this aim, molecular parameters will be assessed in a maize (Zea mays) rootless mutant (rth3) exposed to varying phosphorus and water levels in a Petri-dish approach containing a peat-based substrate to mimic a soil-like texture in a controlled environment. For this, B73 wildtype primary root hairs have been isolated as well as the wildtype primary root deprived of root hairs, and the rth3 roothairless primary root. A non-targeted RNA-sequencing approach will be performed on these isolated tissues in order to understand regulatory gene networks allowing plants to adapt to the tested adverse nutrient and water seedbed conditions at the early seedling stage.