Molecular and Anatomical Characterization of Sweetpotato Storage Root Formation

Original objectives: Anatomical study of storage root initiation and formation. Induction of storage root formation. Isolation and characterization of genes involved in storage root formation. During the normal course of storage root development. Following stress-induced storage root formation.   Background:Sweetpotato is a high value vegetable crop in Israel and the U.S. and acreage is expanding in both countries and the research herein represents an important backstop to improving quality, consistency, and yield. This research has two broad objectives, both relating to sweetpotato storage root formation. The first objective is to understand storage root inductive conditions and describe the anatomical and physiological stages of storage root development. Sweetpotato is propagated through vine cuttings. These vine cuttings form adventitious roots, from pre-formed primordiae, at each node underground and it is these small adventitious roots which serve as initials for storage and fibrous (non-storage) “feeder” roots. What perplexes producers is the tremendous variability in storage roots produced from plant to plant. The marketable root number may vary from none to five per plant. What has intrigued us is the dearth of research on sweetpotato during the early growth period which we hypothesize has a tremendous impact on ultimate consistency and yield. The second objective is to identify genes that change the root physiology towards either a fleshy storage root or a fibrous “feeder” root. Understanding which genes affect the ultimate outcome is central to our research. Major conclusions: For objective one, we have determined that the majority of adventitious roots that are initiated within 5-7 days after transplanting possess the anatomical features associated with storage root initiation and account for 86 % of storage root count at 65 days after transplanting. These data underscore the importance of optimizing the growing environment during the critical storage root initiation period. Water deprivation during this phenological stage led to substantial reduction in storage root number and yield as determined through growth chamber, greenhouse, and field experiments. Morphological characterization of adventitious roots showed adjustments in root system architecture, expressed as lateral root count and density, in response to water deprivation. For objective two, we generated a transcriptome of storage and lignified (non-storage) adventitious roots. This transcriptome database consists of 55,296 contigs and contains data as regards to differential expression between initiating and lignified adventitious roots. The molecular data provide evidence that a key regulatory mechanism in storage root initiation involves the switch between lignin biosynthesis and cell division and starch accumulation. We extended this research to identify genes upregulated in adventitious roots under drought stress. A subset of these genes was expressed in salt stressed plants.