Partial defoliation of Brachypodium distachyon plants grown in petri dishes under low light increases P and other nutrient levels concomitantly with transcriptional changes in the roots.

Background There have been few studies on the partial defoliation response of grass. It has been unclear how partial defoliation may affect roots at the levels of nutrient accumulation and transcriptional regulation. Hereby we report a comprehensive investigation on molecular impacts of partial defoliation by using a model grass species, Brachypodium distachyon.