Tryptophan regulates sorghum root growth and enhances low nitrogen tolerance

Over evolutionary time, plants have developed sophisticated regulatory mechanisms to adapt to fluctuating nitrogen (N) environments, ensuring that their growth is balanced with their responses to N stress. This study explored the potential of L-tryptophan (Trp) in regulating sorghum root growth under conditions of N limitation. Here, two distinct sorghum genotypes (low-N tolerance 398B and low-N sensitive CS3541) were utilized for investigating effect of low-N stress on root morphology and conducting a comparative transcriptomics analysis. Our foundings indicated that 398B exhibited longer roots, greater root dry weights, and a higher Trp content compared to CS3541 under low-N conditions. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis revealed substantial differences in gene expression profiles related to Trp pathway and carbon (C) and N metabolism pathways between the two genotypes. Additional experiments were conducted to assess the effects of exogenous Trp treatment on the interplay between sorghum root growth and low-N tolerance. Our observations showed that Trp-treated plants developed longer root and had elevated levels of Trp and IAA under low-N conditons. Concurrently, these plants demonstrated stronger physiological activities in C and N metabolism when subjected to low-N stress. These results underscored the pivotal role of Trp on root growth and low-N stress responses by balancing IAA levels and C and N metabolism. This study not only deepens our understanding of how plants maintain growth plasticity during environmental stress but also provides valuable insights into the availability of amino acid in crops, which could be instrumental in developing strategies for promoting crop resilience to N deficiency.