Polyploids Exhibit Higher Potassium Uptake and Salinity Tolerance in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Double Is Not Trouble The doubling of the genome to create polyploidy is common among land plants, and most major flowering plant lineages exhibit some history of genome duplication. However, the physiological advantages of a doubled genome are not well understood. Chao et al. (p. 658, published online 25 July) identified accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana with naturally doubled genomes and found that the cytotype of the root, but not shoot, in these natural, as well as in artificially induced, polyploid plants appears to confer increased salt tolerance by regulating leaf potassium levels.