From root to shoot; Quantifying nematode tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana by high-throughput phenotyping of plant development

Nematode migration, feeding site formation, withdrawal of plant assimilates, and activation of plant defence responses have a significant impact on plant growth and development. Plants display intraspecific variation in tolerance limits for root-feeding nematodes. Although disease tolerance has been recognised as a distinct trait in biotic interactions of mainly crops, we lack mechanistic insights. Progress is hampered by difficulties in quantification and laborious screening methods. We turned to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, since it offers extensive resources to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying nematode-plant interactions. Through imaging of tolerance-related parameters the green canopy area was identified as an accessible and robust measure for assessing damage due to cyst nematode infection. Subsequently, a high-throughput phenotyping platform simultaneously measuring the green canopy area growth of 960 A. thaliana plants was developed. This platform can accurately measure cyst- and root-knot nematode tolerance limits in A. thaliana through classical modelling of tolerance limits. Furthermore, real-time monitoring provided data for a novel view of tolerance, identifying a compensatory growth response. These findings show that our phenotyping platform will enable further studies into a mechanistic understanding of tolerance to below-ground biotic stress. HighlightThe mechanisms of tolerance to root-parasitic nematodes remain unknown. We developed a high-throughput phenotyping system that enables unravelling the underlying mechanisms of tolerance to nematodes.