Data for quantitative research of mechanical properties of agar media with concentration gradient, and Arabidopsis root growth in these media

The mechanical properties of the plant culture medium affect plant growth and development significantly. The paper presents the data created for the published article entitled “Resistance from agar medium impacts the helical growth of Arabidopsis primary roots”. The data contains the real-time output forces of 0.5‒1.2% agar media from Bluehill software, and the forces on the agar surfaces changing with the increase of displacement. Oscillatory rheological experiments were employed to verify the stiffness results of 0.5‒1.2% agar media. Helix diameter and length of roots grown in gradient agar media for Col-0 and DR5-GUS Arabidopsis are exhibited.
The data reported herein contains Loading Force-Displacement Curve for 0.5‒1.2% agar media from uniaxial compression test (Fig. 1) and the relationship between agar concentration and moduli (Complex modulus and Elastica modulus) (Table 1). Data of root length (Table 2) and diameter of root helix (Table 3) in each agar media were presented when Col-0 and DR5-GUS Arabidopsis grow in agar media on the 7th day. Among the range from 0.5% to 1.2% agar media, no significant difference was found in both dimensions of the helical root and root length between Ecotype Columbia (Col-0) and DR5-GUS seeds (t-test, P >0.05) (Fig. 2). The raw data associated with Fig. 2 were exhibited in Table 2 and Table 3.
Fig. 1 Loading Force-Displacement Curve for 0.5%-1.2% agar media from uniaxial compression test. Rectangle samples (length = 40 mm, width = 20 mm, height = 12 mm), area = 800 mm2. Common standard tests were used to determine the deformational displacement and Young’s modulus. The experiments were repeated more than three times for each agar concentration and similar results to those shown were observed.
Fig.2 Average length and average helix diameter of 7-day-old primary roots of Col-0 and DR5-GUS in agar media. a. Col-0 and DR5-GUS comparison in 0.5%-1.2% agar media. b. Col-0 and DR5-GUS comparison in 0.5%-0.9% agar media. Col-0 and DR5-GUS comparison exhibited no significant difference (t-test, P>0.05).
Table 1. The relationship between agar concentration and moduli (Complex modulus and Elastica modulus). Oscillatory rheological experiments for the effect of agar on the medium rheology were at constant frequency (0.1 Hz) and strain (0.2%).
Table 2. Testing dataset with two genetypes of Arabidopsis roots. Length of 7-day-old primary roots of Col-0 and DR5-GUS in agar media with concentration of 0.5%-1.2%. This dataset is connected with Fig. 2. a. Col-0 and DR5-GUS comparison in 0.5%-1.2% agar media.
Table 3. Testing dataset with two genetypes of Arabidopsis roots with helical growth pattern. Helix diameter of 7-day-old primary roots of Col-0 and DR5-GUS in agar media with concentration of 0.5%-0.9%.