An S-domain receptor-like kinase, OsESG1, regulates early crown root development and drought resistance in rice.

•The expression of OsESG1 could be induced by abiotic stress.•Suppression of OsESG1 in rice resulted in a reduction in the number of crown root and shoot length in early seedling stage.•OsESG1 regulates crown root initiation and elongation by regulating auxin distribution and transport in rice.•OsESG1 modulates stress response by regulating the activity of antioxidative system and expressions of stress-related genes.