Happy to share this part of my PhD in the Benfey Lab @DukeU. It was a really rewarding collaboration with @ShaoYanlin in Chuanzao Mao's lab @ZJU_China. We used a combination of phenotyping methods to identify a root system architecture (RSA) mutant and clone the underlying gene.
To see if this holds up in planta in more natural conditions, we grew WT and hk1 on gravel. Indeed, WT is able to grow with ease but hk1 dislodges itself, indicating unidirectional growth is not a good strategy when growing around obstacles (probably common in nature). 6/8