A Dose‐Response Framework for Ca <sup>2+</sup> ‐ROS‐Associated Modulation of Aerenchyma Formation Under Flooding Stress
ABSTRACT
Flooding stress associated with climate variability requires a better understanding of adaptive plant responses and their regulation in flood‐prone systems. This study examines whether dose‐dependent modulation of Ca
2+
/ROS‐associated processes influences root porosity and biomass responses in
Cynodon dactylon
under flooding‐related stress. Systematic modulation of Ca
2+
‐ROS‐associated processes was examined using CaCl
2
, 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazole (AT), EGTA, and diphenylene iodonium. The core novelty lies in translating biological signalling into an actionable bioprocess optimisation framework using Hill/EMAX dose – response modelling and benchmark dose (BMD) analysis. This methodology defined precise efficacy – safety windows for chemical application. Principal results demonstrate that low doses of CaCl
2
and the ROS inducer AT significantly enhanced root porosity without compromising biomass. Critically, the BMD
porosity+10
(required dose for 10% porosity gain) was robustly positioned to the left of BMD
biomass‐10
(dose causing 10% growth penalty), confirming a safe and effective operational zone. These results provide a quantitative basis for future validation of dose‐dependent Ca
2+
/ROS modulation under more complex environmental conditions.
Flooding stress associated with climate variability requires a better understanding of adaptive plant responses and their regulation in flood‐prone systems. This study examines whether dose‐dependent modulation of Ca
2+
/ROS‐associated processes influences root porosity and biomass responses in
Cynodon dactylon
under flooding‐related stress. Systematic modulation of Ca
2+
‐ROS‐associated processes was examined using CaCl
2
, 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazole (AT), EGTA, and diphenylene iodonium. The core novelty lies in translating biological signalling into an actionable bioprocess optimisation framework using Hill/EMAX dose – response modelling and benchmark dose (BMD) analysis. This methodology defined precise efficacy – safety windows for chemical application. Principal results demonstrate that low doses of CaCl
2
and the ROS inducer AT significantly enhanced root porosity without compromising biomass. Critically, the BMD
porosity+10
(required dose for 10% porosity gain) was robustly positioned to the left of BMD
biomass‐10
(dose causing 10% growth penalty), confirming a safe and effective operational zone. These results provide a quantitative basis for future validation of dose‐dependent Ca
2+
/ROS modulation under more complex environmental conditions.