Effects of elevated carbon dioxide and sucrose concentrations on Arabidopsis thaliana root architecture and anatomy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of elevated carbon dioxide and sucrose concentrations on Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh root growth, morphology, and architecture. Two levels of CO2, 360 (ambient) and 900 (elevated) μmol·mol–1, and various sucrose concentrations were used. A. thaliana plants grown on a phytagar medium in small chambers with elevated CO2 had longer roots, more lateral root growth and a more dichotomous branching pattern than plants grown in ambient CO2. Roots in elevated CO2 had wider root diameters, and showed considerably more secondary growth such as larger diameter vascular cylinders and better-developed periderm. Addition of sucrose to the media closely resembled the effects of elevated CO2. Further, the increase in sucrose concentration had a more pronounced effect on root morphology under ambient, than elevated CO2. Thus, both elevated CO2 and increased sucrose concentrations promote root growth by increasing their number, length, and diameter, and by changing the branching pattern from herringbone to dichotomous.