Abstract: Many crops are sensitive to
waterlogging. A small, fast-growing grass,
Brachypodium distachyon (Bd21), whose
genome has been sequenced, is a new model
for studying cereal crops such as wheat and
barley, and for developing novel biomass
grasses. However, its waterlogging tolerance
and oxygen transport properties are not known.
Here, we show that in stagnant deoxygenated
nutrient solution, which mimics waterlogged soil,
B. distachyon grows poorly and does not
increase the number of newly formed roots. In
both aerated and stagnant conditions,
aerenchyma was hardly observed in roots, and
root porosities were low. Suberin and lignin,
which are thought to be constituents of the
barrier to radial oxygen loss, did not develop in
the outer part of roots in either aerated or
stagnant conditions. Our results suggest that
the abilities of oxygen transport in B. distachyon
are insufficient to grow and survive in stagnant
deoxygenated conditions.
Keywords: adventitious root, aerenchyma, barrier to