A new study at Duke University showed that beta-cyclocitral, a plant hormone used as a food additive, helps stimulate rice roots to grow faster and branch out more. The rice plants treated with the hormone also exhibited higher tolerance to salty soils. The compound is believed to help rice roots push deeper into the soil and away from salty topsoils more quickly.
Beta-cyclocitral has promising potential use in agriculture as a soil additive or foliar spray to boost root growth for higher crop productivity, according to the research team. The compound also works in tomato plants and possibly other crops.
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More studies on rice roots:
