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Articles by Malcolm Bennett
ARF19 acts as a transient auxin response enhancer during root gravitropism
Results ARF7 and ARF19 are both required for root gravitropism,13 since arf7-1arf19-1 double mutant roots exhibit a reduced gravity response, while arf7-1 and arf19-1 single mutants do not (Figures 1A and 1B).
Comprehensive characterisation of IAA inactivation pathways reveals the impact of glycosylation on auxin metabolism and plant development in Arabidopsis
Abstract Alongside biosynthesis and transport, inactivation regulates indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) concentration, a compound with numerous functions in plant development. The main inactive IAA metabolites are oxidised forms and ester- or amide-linked conjugates.
Author Correction: A feedback regulatory loop by MAPK–CCA1 engages auxin signalling to stimulate root foraging for nitrate
Correction to: Nature Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-026-02225-8, published online 12 February 2026. In the version of this article initially published, two relevant references were unintentionally overlooked and have now been included. The reference “Regnard, S. et al. The MKK3 module integrates nitrate and light signals to modulate secondary dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
A feedback regulatory loop by MAPK–CCA1 engages auxin signalling to stimulate root foraging for nitrate - Nature Plants
Abstract In eucaryotes, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are evolutionarily conserved signalling modules crucial for growth regulation and stress tolerance. However, the regulatory role of MAPK in nutrient sensing by plants remains largely unclear. Here we uncovered MEKK14 and its paralogue MEKK13 determine lateral root elongation via enhanced cell division and expansion.
Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction - Nature
Abstract Soil stresses affect crop yields and present global agricultural challenges1. Soil compaction triggers reduction in root length and radial expansion driven by the plant hormone ethylene2. Here we report how ethylene controls cell wall biosynthesis to promote root radial expansion. We demonstrate how soil compaction stress, via ethylene, upregulates Auxin Response Factor1 in the root cortex, which represses cellulose synthase (CESA) genes.
Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress - Nature
Abstract Land plants thrive in soils showing vastly different properties and environmental stresses1. Root systems can adapt to contrasting soil conditions and stresses, yet how their responses are programmed at the individual cell scale remains unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic approaches, we showed major expression changes in outer root cell types when comparing the single-cell transcriptomes of rice roots grown in gel versus soil conditions.
Future crop breeding needs to consider future soils - Nature Plants
Modern crop breeding and seed certification agencies ignore the known spatial heterogeneity of soils and develop cultivars to thrive in a ‘one-size-fits-all’ soil environment. Neglecting the evolving dynamics of soils substantially undermines the capacity of new genotypes to deliver optimal yield and stress resilience, and requires urgent consideration in future plant breeding programmes.
ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought
Keywords ABA auxin biosynthesis root angle gravitropism cereal crops Get full text access Log in, subscribe or purchase for full access. References 1. FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2023 2. Gupta, A. ∙ Rico-Medina, A. ∙ Caño-Delgado, A.I. The physiology of plant responses to drought Science. 2020; 368:266-269 4. Rodell, M. ∙ Famiglietti, J.S. ∙ Wiese, D.N. ... Emerging trends in global freshwater availability Nature. 2018; 557:651-659 5.
Harnessing landrace diversity empowers wheat breeding - Nature
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Abstract Harnessing genetic diversity in major staple crops through the development of new breeding capabilities is essential to ensure food security1. Here we examined the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the A. E. Watkins landrace collection2 of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), a major global cereal, by whole-genome re-sequencing of 827 Watkins landraces and 208 modern cultivars and in-depth field evaluation spanning a decade.
By Shifeng Cheng, Cong Feng, Luzie U. Wingen, Mei Jiang, Xiaoming Wang, Tom O’Hara, Jesus Quiroz-Chavez, Ricardo H. Ramirez-Gonzalez, Malcolm Bennett, Breno Bicego, Amanda J. Burridge, Milika Buurman, Oorbessy Gaju, Adam Gauley, Amber N. Hafeez, Muhammad Iqbal, Ankica Kondic-Spica, Alexandra M. Przewieslik-Allen, Gustavo A. Slafer, Baoxing Song, Burkhard Steuernagel, Abdul Waheed, Yubing Wu, Laura Dixon Verified, Paul Nicholson Verified, Malcolm J. Hawkesford, Cristobal Uauy, Sanwen Huang
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Nature
Verified
Root hairs facilitate rice root penetration into compacted layers
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Genetic regulation of the root angle in cereals
What specific genetic components are responsible for interpreting gravity stimulus and maintaining GSA in different root types, and how are they regulated at the molecular level? Is the regulation of GSA maintenance primarily at the transcriptional, translational, or post-translational level, and are there specific metabolites and cellular structures involved in this process?
Philip N. Benfey (1953-2023)
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
A spatially concerted epidermal auxin signaling framework steers the root hair foraging response under low nitrogen
Highlights • Plants elongate root hairs to ensure better growth in nitrogen-poor soil • Low N triggers expression of TAA1 and YUC8 to increase auxin levels in root tips • AUX1- and PIN2-mediated auxin transport activates ARF6/8 in the root hair zone • The regulatory module RHD6-LRL3 is required to elongate root hairs under low N Summary As a major determinant of the nutrient-acquiring root surface, root hairs (RHs) provide a low-input strategy to enhance nutrient uptake.
PlantACT! - how to tackle the climate crisis
Highlights Agriculture contributes to global climate change by producing 20–25% of greenhouse gases (GHGs). CO2 is released from deforestation and land conversion, methane from rice paddy fields, and nitrous oxides from overfertilization. An increasing world population requires a change in the agro food systems, including a reduction in chemical fertilizers and pesticides as well as the production and access to food.
Africa: The Amazing System Plants Use to Shape Their Roots and Why It Could Help Protect Crops From Climate Change
Africa: The Amazing System Plants Use to Shape Their Roots and Why It Could Help Protect Crops From Climate Change analysis By Malcolm Bennett and Poonam Mehra Plants have colonised the vast majority of the Earth's surface. So what is the key to their success? People often think of plants as simple, senseless life forms. They may live rooted in one place, but the more scientists learn about plants, the more complex and responsive we realise they are.
The amazing system plants use to shape their roots and why it could help protect crops from climate change
Plants have colonised the vast majority of the Earth’s surface. So what is the key to their success? People often think of plants as simple, senseless life forms. They may live rooted in one place, but the more scientists learn about plants, the more complex and responsive we realise they are. They are excellent at adapting to local conditions. Plants are specialists, making the most of what is close by to where they germinate.
Family mediation: The self-regulated profession | Malcolm Bennett, Vicky Visca and Mary-Anne Popescu
Malcolm Bennett Vicky Visca Mary-Anne Popescu We are writing in response to Gary Joseph’s column published on June 22, 2021, in The Lawyer’s Daily, “Mediation: The unregulated profession.” The Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM) applauds the federal government for placing an increased emphasis on negotiated settlement under Bill C-78 of the Divorce Act and the Moving Ontario Family Law Forward Act, 2020 (Bill-207), and the Ontario government for ensuring meaningful and inexpensive...
Mutant roots reveal how we can grow crops in damaged soils
by Malcolm Bennett, Bipin Pandey and Sacha Mooney, The Conversation Credit: Lidiane Miotto/Shutterstock For years, conventional wisdom has held that roots don't grow as deep in hard soil because it's just too difficult for them to physically push through it. But our new research has unearthed another reason: their growth is controlled by a biological signal which can be "switched off," enabling them to punch through compacted earth.
Mutant roots reveal how we can grow crops in damaged soils
For years, conventional wisdom has held that roots don’t grow as deep in hard soil because it’s just too difficult for them to physically push through it. But our new research has unearthed another reason: their growth is controlled by a biological signal which can be “switched off”, enabling them to punch through compacted earth. It’s a discovery that could help crops to grow in even the most damaged of soils.
A mini foxtail millet with an Arabidopsis-like life cycle as a C4 model system
Abstract Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is an important crop species and an emerging model plant for C4 grasses. However, functional genomics research on foxtail millet is challenging because of its long generation time, relatively large stature and recalcitrance to genetic transformation. Here we report the development of xiaomi, a rapid-cycling mini foxtail millet mutant as a C4 model system.
Detection of Seoul virus in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from pig farms in Northern England
Detection of Seoul virus in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from pig farms in Northern England http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2225-6026Ellen G Murphy, BSc PhD1,2, Nicola J Williams, BSc PhD1,2, Malcolm Bennett, BVSc PhD FRCPath MRCVS3, Daisy Jennings, BSc4, Julian Chantrey, BVM+S PhD FRCPath DipECZM5 and Lorraine M McElhinney, BSc MSc PhD1,4 1HPRU EZI, Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool School of Life Sciences, Neston, Cheshire, UK 2Institute of Infection...
Early developmental plasticity of lateral roots in response to asymmetric water availability
Abstract Root branching is influenced by the soil environment and exhibits a high level of plasticity. We report that the radial positioning of emerging lateral roots is influenced by their hydrological environment during early developmental stages. New lateral root primordia have both a high degree of flexibility in terms of initiation and development angle towards the available water. Our observations reveal how the external hydrological environment regulates lateral root morphogenesis. Fig.
Turning lateral roots into nodules
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A New Angle on How Roots Acclimate to Sporadic Rainfall
Root architecture critically influences a plant’s ability to forage for nutrients and water in soil. In this issue of Cell, Ogura et al. (2019) Ogura T. Goeschl C. Filiault D. Mirea M. Slovak R. Wolhrab B. Satbhai S.B. Busch W. EXOCYST70A3 shapes root system depth in Arabidopsis via the dynamic modulation of auxin transport. Cell.
Detection of Seoul virus in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from pig farms in Northern England
Detection of Seoul virus in wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from pig farms in Northern England Ellen G Murphy, BSc PhD1,2, Nicola J Williams, BSc PhD1,2, Malcolm Bennett, BVSc PhD FRCPath MRCVS3, Daisy Jennings, BSc4, Julian Chantrey, BVM+S PhD FRCPath DipECZM5 and Lorraine M McElhinney, BSc MSc PhD1,4 1HPRU EZI, Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool School of Life Sciences, Neston, Cheshire, UK 2Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of...
Badger cull alone won't work for eradicating bovine TB – but this might
Controlling the epidemic of tuberculosis in English cattle is a hugely controversial issue. The role badgers play in that epidemic and how to prevent their infection spreading to cattle is also hotly contested. The recent Bovine TB Strategy Review, known as the “Godfray Review”, described culling badgers as having only a “relatively modest benefit” in reducing the incidence of TB in cattle and described the use of “non-lethal” control of infection in badgers as “highly desirable”.
Plant Phenomics, From Sensors to Knowledge
One Genotype, Many Phenotypes in Plants Analysing the Plant Phenome across Spatial and Temporal Scales Tracing and Storing All Steps from Data to Knowledge in Information Systems Phenomic experiments are not directly reproducible because of the variability of environmental conditions.
‘Disperse abroad in the land’: the role of wildlife in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance
Review: ‘Disperse abroad in the land’: the role of wildlife in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance Kathryn E. Arnold, Nicola J. Williams, Malcolm Bennett Biol. Lett. 2016 12 20160137; DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0137. Published 16 August 2016
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