The architecture of the branched root system of plants is a major determinant of vigor. Water
availability is known to impact root physiology and growth; however, the spatial scale at …

Soil systems are characterized by the spatial and temporal distribution of organic and mineral
particles, water and air within a soil profile. Investigations into the complex interactions …

Plants can acclimate by using tropisms to link the direction of growth to environmental conditions.
Hydrotropism allows roots to forage for water, a process known to depend on abscisic …

Plants are sessile organisms rooted in one place. The soil resources that plants require are
often distributed in a highly heterogeneous pattern. To aid foraging, plants have evolved …

Soil tillage practices have a profound influence on the physical properties of soil and the
greenhouse gas (GHG) balance. However there have been very few integrated studies on the …

Biochar has been reported to improve soil quality and crop yield; however, less is known
about its effects on the physical and, in particular, structural properties of soil. This study …

Plant roots exhibit plasticity in their branching patterns to forage efficiently for heterogeneously
distributed resources, such as soil water. The xerobranching response represses lateral …

Soil compaction represents a major challenge for modern agriculture. Compaction is intuitively
thought to reduce root growth by limiting the ability of roots to penetrate harder soils. We …

Root traits such as root angle and hair length influence resource acquisition particularly for
immobile nutrients like phosphorus (P). Here, we attempted to modify root angle in rice by …

Soil compaction represents a major agronomic challenge, inhibiting root elongation and
impacting crop yields. Roots use ethylene to sense soil compaction as the restricted air space …