Cluster roots: model experimental tools for key biological problems

The cluster root is made up of a number of determinate rootlets tightly grouped along the parent root. Each rootlet grows for a limited time, and then the meristem stops dividing and differentiates. Following cessation of growth, an exudative burst occurs, wherein, over 2–3 d, large amounts of organic acids, as well as phosphatases and phenolics, are exuded from the rootlets. There is a concomitant acidification of the rhizosphere. It is suggested that the temporal and spatial predictability of developmental and functional events in these structures makes them valuable as experimental tools with which to investigate key issues in plant developmental biology, physiology, ecophysiology, evolutionary biology, and biotechnology.