Salty Beans: The Effects of Moderate Salt Stress on Nodule Formation in Medicago truncatula

Presenter's Name(s)

Matthew GorsteinFollow

Conference Year

January 2020

Abstract

Nitrogen is the most limiting resource for plant growth. Legumes have evolved a symbiosis with a soil bacterium that converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant available form. This symbiosis involves chemical communication, coordinated growth, and the creation of a new root organ, the nodule. Previous research has shown that this symbiosis is particularly sensitive to salt stress, resulting in dramatic reductions in nodulation, even at levels that do not significantly reduce plant biomass. I investigated the underlying cause of this reduction and will determine if it is a result of reduced initiation of nodules, disrupted or abnormal development, or both. Plants were grown in a controlled environment, in a defined medium, with the treatment group receiving 100mM NaCl. Roots were harvested 7 days post-bacterial-inoculation and stained using a modified Pseudo-Schiff method. Data was gathered via whole-mount, confocal scanning laser microscopy, which allowed for faster and more accurate data collection. Using previously defined stages of nodule primordia development, I categorized each nodule primordia across treatments. In this way, I intend to determine if there is a significant reduction in the number of initiated nodules, significant differences in the distribution of nodule stages, and if there is any abnormal development across treatments.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Jeanne Harris

Faculty/Staff Collaborators

Jeanne Harris

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program/Major

Plant Biology

Second Program/Major

Sustainable Landscape Horticulture

Primary Research Category

Biological Sciences

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Salty Beans: The Effects of Moderate Salt Stress on Nodule Formation in Medicago truncatula

Nitrogen is the most limiting resource for plant growth. Legumes have evolved a symbiosis with a soil bacterium that converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant available form. This symbiosis involves chemical communication, coordinated growth, and the creation of a new root organ, the nodule. Previous research has shown that this symbiosis is particularly sensitive to salt stress, resulting in dramatic reductions in nodulation, even at levels that do not significantly reduce plant biomass. I investigated the underlying cause of this reduction and will determine if it is a result of reduced initiation of nodules, disrupted or abnormal development, or both. Plants were grown in a controlled environment, in a defined medium, with the treatment group receiving 100mM NaCl. Roots were harvested 7 days post-bacterial-inoculation and stained using a modified Pseudo-Schiff method. Data was gathered via whole-mount, confocal scanning laser microscopy, which allowed for faster and more accurate data collection. Using previously defined stages of nodule primordia development, I categorized each nodule primordia across treatments. In this way, I intend to determine if there is a significant reduction in the number of initiated nodules, significant differences in the distribution of nodule stages, and if there is any abnormal development across treatments.