How does Cassava transport its sugars ?
Our latest publication highlights important aspects of the primary metabolism of cassava (Manihot esculenta) by describing the most likely pathway of sugars from source to sink by combining computational, biochemical and anatomical methods. Cassava, unlike potato and other staple crops, is a perennial woody shrub. Woody plants generally prefer a symplasmic mode of phloem loading, which we found evidence for in cassava. Together with previous results describing symplasmic unloading, this makes the pathway from source to storage root a symplasmically connected system. We also found evidence that subcellular compartmentalization in storage parenchyma cells of the storage root is transcriptionally increased upon root bulking, which could be used by the plant to increase specific sink strength, enlarge storage cells, or aid in water availability during the dry season.
Link to the publication in Plant Physiology : https://academic.oup.com/plphys/advance-article/doi/10.1093/plphys/kiae298/7679698?login=true