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Aims: This study investigated the influence of climate and soil on the exudation rate and polysaccharide composition of aerial nodal root mucilage from drought-resistant and drought-susceptible maize varieties. Methods: Two maize varieties were grown in two different soils (sandy-clay loam Acrisol and loam Luvisol) under simulated climatic conditions of their agroecological zones of origin in Kenya and Germany. The exudation rate of mucilage from the aerial nodal roots was quantified as dry weight per root tip per day and the mucilage was characterized for its polysaccharide composition. Results: On average, the mucilage exudation rate was 35.8% higher under the Kenyan semi-arid tropical than under the German humid temperate climatic conditions. However, cultivation in the loam Luvisol soil from Germany led to 73.7% higher mucilage exudation rate than cultivation in the sandy-clay loam Acrisol soil from Kenya, plausibly due to its higher microbial biomass and nutrient availability. The drought-resistant Kenyan maize variety exuded 58.2% more mucilage than the drought-susceptible German variety. On average, mucilage polysaccharides were composed of 40.6% galactose, 26.2% fucose, 13.1% mannose, 11% arabinose, 3.5% glucose, 3.2% xylose, 1.3% glucuronic acid, and 1% an unknown uronic acid. Overall, significantly higher proportions of the uronic acids were found in the mucilage of the plants grown in the Kenyan sandy-clay loam soil and under the Kenyan semi-arid tropical climatic conditions. Conclusions: Maize is able to enhance its mucilage exudation rate under warm climatic conditions and in soils of high microbial activity to mitigate water stress and support the rhizosphere microbiome, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mucilage plays crucial roles in root-soil interactions. Collection systems for maize (Zea mays L.) use primary and seminal roots of aeroponically-grown seedlings (CSA), or brace roots of soil-grown plants (CSB). While each method represents specific plant developmental stages, and root types growing in specific (micro-)environments, these factors are rarely considered. It is unclear whether mucilage exhibits distinct physico-chemical properties related to collection system-inherent factors. Methods: Mucilage of maize genotype B73 was collected from systems CSA and CSB. Chemical composition was assessed by pH, nutrient contents, neutral sugar composition, and polysaccharide polymer length. Viscosity, surface tension and contact angle represented physical properties. Results: The share of hexoses among total polysaccharides was 11% higher in CSB than in CSA, whereas pentoses were predominant in CSA, together with higher nutrient concentrations and pH values. Mannose was detected only in CSB, which also exhibited higher surface tension, viscosity and contact angle compared to CSA. Conclusions: Physico-chemical differences between the two mucilages are related to root type functions, environmental root growth conditions, and plant developmental state. Higher fractions of pentoses in CSA mucilage seem related to semi-sterile system conditions. Higher viscosity of CSB mucilage might reflect the need for enhanced water holding capacity of brace roots growing in drier conditions. A strong influence of environmental factors on mucilage properties even for a single genotype might play additional roles e.g. in the attraction of microbiomes. These aspects are relevant when assessing the role of mucilage in the rhizosphere, or when developing models of rhizosphere processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Visualization of enzymatic activity links microbial functioning to localization in heterogeneous soil habitats. To assess enzymatic reactions in soil thin layer at the microscopic level, we developed a micro-zymography approach and tested it by visualization of the potential activity of phosphomonoesterase for aggregates collected from the rhizosphere of Zea mays L. Methods: We evaluated micro-zymography by applying fluorogenically-labeled substrate i) on individual soil aggregates freshly sampled from the rhizosphere, ii) on thin layers of aggregates (≈ 500 µm) saturated with substrate to assess the dynamics of phosphomonoesterase activity, and iii) on maize roots under laser scanning microscope upon the identified hotspots by membrane-based zymography. Results: We found super transparent silicon as the most appropriate fixative to prevent sample drying. We optimized microscope settings to eliminate the soil auto-fluorescence. The fluorescent signal shifted from the free liquid phase towards the aggregate boundaries within 30 min after substrate addition and was finally detectable at the surface of a few aggregates. This was probably due to higher microbial abundance and enzymatic activity on the soil aggregates compared to the liquid phase. The enzymatic activity appeared patchy at the aggregate and root surfaces indicating heterogeneous distribution of hotspots. Conclusions: The methodology including calibration, sample preparation, fixation, and monitoring was developed. The novel membrane-free micro-zymography approach is a promising tool to identify functional specificity and niche differentiation on roots and soil aggregates. This approach revealed unexplained complexity of competing processes (biochemical, hydrolytic, and physical) due to differently charged reaction products and enzyme-clay complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Biopores as microbial hotspots provide additional nutrients to crops - but only if their roots grow within the biopores. Such reuse has never been quantified as pre-crop-specific biopores are hardly differentiated from the multitude of pre-existing biopores. Quantification requires e.g. radionuclide labelling of pre-crops (Cs, to label their biopores) and main crops (C, to detect new roots). Preliminary testing was performed on simulated biopore reuse: both nuclides given to the same plant were excreted into the same rhizosphere. Methods: Cichorium intybus (cv. Puna) and Medicago sativa (cv. Planet) were each sequentially labelled via the leaves with Cs and CO. β-signals were visualised by imaging of horizontal soil cuts - with and without shielding off the weaker C. Results: Both species allocated 7.1-9.4% of the Cs and 21-63% of the C below ground. The first image gave both activities; while the second gave only Cs. Subtracting the second from the first image gave the C distribution, resulting in successful separation of the signals. Thus, separate spatial representations of the roots were obtained. Main root locations by Cs and C showed a very high spatial overlap coefficient (> 0.95). Conclusions: Biopore reuse quantification likely becomes feasible with this sequential labelling and shielding approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]