Setaria viridis: A Monocot Root Model System

Roots are central to plant growth and survival and are often projected as the source of next Green Revolution. Concerning global food and biomass production, monocots contribute the lion’s share. However, in comparison to dicots, our understanding of monocot root biology remains rather poor. Thus, exploring the biology of roots in this group of plants is of great significance. The unique characteristics of Setaria viridis including, a relatively small genome, fast life cycle, robust seed production make this an excellent genetic model system. Here, I present our efforts in developing Setaria viridis as a root model system to study diverse aspects of monocot root biology. We have characterized the tissue organization of different root types, estimated meristem dynamics, identified root type-specific stress responses and developed protocols for breaking seed dormancy. Currently, we are generating a root type-specific transcriptome and a root cell type-specific translatome to better understand stress responses especially drought. This work will allow us to identify the regulatory components that govern monocot root growth and stress responses, knowledge of which may lead to superior staple crops.