Induction of Root Hair Growth in a Phosphorus-Buffered Culture Solution

The study established a phosphorus-buffered hydroponic solution using tricalcium phosphate and CaCl2, which successfully induced the growth of abundant root hairs, up to 3 mm in length, in both monocotyledon and dicotyledon species, such as corn, wheat, and Arabidopsis thaliana. This system mimicked soil solutions with low bioavailable phosphorus and demonstrated that the root environment controls root hair formation. Notably, it induced "hedgehog roots" with abundant long root hairs in corn, contrary to previous findings that corn does not form root hairs in hydroponics. However, the solution did not induce root hairs in onion roots.