WATER-SOLUBLE PLANT ROOT EXUDATES: ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR STUDY

Water-soluble plant root exudates represent a considerable fraction of total rhizodeposition and are of significance for plant nutrition, methanogenesis, decontamination of polluted sites or phytotoxicity, soil aggregation and development of mycorrhizal symbiosis. The paper constitutes a part of current research focused on new data related to the role of enantiomers of organic compounds (amino acids and organic acids) and phytotoxicals within water-soluble root exudates of different plant species. Knowledge of the kind is applicable in ecology, agriculture and forestry, and in phytoremediation aimed at decontamination of polluted sites. Breeding techniques of plants used for agricultural production in terms of lowering exudation rate from roots, which is a significant source for greenhouses emissions (e.g. CH4), are discussed in the aricle.