Nutrient and Water Availability Influence Rice Physiology, Root Architecture and Ionomic Balance via Auxin Signalling

ABSTRACT Water and soil nutrients are the vital ingredients of crop production, and their efficient uptake is essentially dependent on root development, majorly regulated by auxin. For a water‐loving crop like rice, how water availability regulates nutrient acquisition, additionally, how ambient nutrient level modulates water uptake, and the role of auxin therein is not well studied. While investigating the cross‐talks among these components, we found water to be essential for auxin re‐distribution in roots and shaping the root architecture. We also found that supplementing rice seedlings with moderate concentrations of mineral nutrients facilitated faster water uptake and greater nutrient enrichment in leaves compared to adequate nutrient supplementation. Additionally, moderate nutrient availability favoured greater stomatal density, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, transpiration rate and water use efficiency when water was not limiting. Further, auxin supplementation enhanced root formation in rice, while affecting their water uptake ability, photosynthesis and transpiration causing differential mineral‐specific uptake trends. The present study uncovers the existence of an intricate crosstalk among water, nutrients and auxin signalling the knowledge of which will enable optimizing the growth conditions for speed breeding of rice and harnessing the components of auxin signalling to improve water and nutrient use efficiency of rice.