title: The lateral root initiation index: an integrative measure of primordium formation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lateral root initiation is an essential and continuous process in the formation of root systems; therefore, its quantitative analysis is indispensable. In this study a new measure of lateral root initiation is proposed and analysed, namely the lateral root initiation index (I(LRI)), which defines how many lateral roots and/or primordia are formed along a parent-root portion corresponding to 100 cortical cells in a file.
  
  
  METHODS
  For data collection, a commonly used root clearing procedure was employed, and a new simple root clearing procedure is also proposed. The I(LRI) was determined as 100dl, where d is the density of lateral root initiation events (number mm(-1)) and l is the average fully elongated cortical cell length (mm).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses of different Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes and of a crop plant, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), showed that I(LRI) is a more precise parameter than others commonly used as it normalizes root growth for variations in cell length. Lateral root primordium density varied in the A. thaliana accessions Col, Ler, Ws, and C24; however, in all accessions except Ws, I(LRI) was similar under the same growth conditions. The nitrogen/carbon ratio in the growth medium did not change the lateral root primordium density but did affect I(LRI). The I(LRI) was also modified in a number of auxin-related mutants, revealing new root branching phenotypes in some of these mutants. The rate of lateral root initiation increased with Arabidopsis seedling age; however, I(LRI) was not changed in plants between 8 and 14 d post-germination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The I(LRI) allows for a more precise comparison of lateral root initiation under different growth conditions, treatments, genotypes and plant species than other comparable methods.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Molecular de Plantas, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), A. P. 510-3, 62250 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. jdubrov@ibt.unam.mx
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dubrovsky
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soukup
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Napsucialy-Mendivil
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jeknic
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ivanchenko
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000254:growth & development*; D003470:Culture Media; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000378:metabolism; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000254:growth & development*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005966:Glucuronidase