Abstract Detail

Development and Structure

Roy, Ankita [1], Bralick, Addison [2], Pietrzyk, Peter [1], Bucksch, Alexander [3].

Morphological Phenotyping of 'Hooked' Hairs in Phaseolus vulgaris.

We discovered a previously unknown phenotype of hair-like epidermal cell extensions in the common bean genotype L88-57 (Phaseolus vulgaris) which we termed ‘hooked hairs. These hair-like extensions emerge below-ground before root hairs and have a distinct 'hooking' shape. We generated a dataset within 3-5 days of germination capturing the full distribution of 'hooked hairs' under the microscope. We also developed a phenotyping pipeline for analyzing the morphology. Our pipeline automatically quantifies traits such as length, curvature, perimeter, area, and 'hooking' from microscopy images. Our objective is to quantify the response of 'hooked' hairs to nutrient stress to study their function in the early development of common bean. Our analysis has shown statistically significant responses for length, curvature, perimeter, and area in nitrogen (p<0.001**) and phosphorus (p<0.001**) stress treatments compared to control. We are simultaneously developing a landmark-free method for the two-dimensional shape analysis of our dataset to quantify the differences in hooking compared to root hairs and trichomes. We believe that our research will not just enable the high-throughput analysis but also help in the discovery of genetic mechanisms and functions underlying the newly observed 'hooked' hair phenotype.

1 - University of Georgia, 120 Carlton Street, Miller Plant Sciences (Rm 2408), University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, United States
2 - University of Georgia, 140 Cedar Street, Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, United States
3 - University Of Georgia, Department Of Plant Biologu, 120 Carlton Street, Athens, GA, 30602, United States

Keywords:
morphology
Phenotyping
Root Hair
Trichome
Hooking
Common Bean.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: DS2002
Abstract ID:311
Candidate for Awards:Katherine Esau Award,Maynard F. Moseley Award