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BACKGROUND: Root systems are key contributors to plant health, resilience, and, ultimately, yield of agricultural crops. To optimize plant performance, phenotyping trials are conducted to breed plants with diverse root traits. However, traditional analysis methods are often labour-intensive and invasive to the root system, therefore limiting high-throughput phenotyping. Spectral electrical impedance tomography (sEIT) could help as a non-invasive and cost-efficient alternative to optical root analysis, potentially providing 2D or 3D spatio-temporal information on root development and activity. Although impedance measurements have been shown to be sensitive to root biomass, nutrient status, and diurnal activity, only few attempts have been made to employ tomographic algorithms to recover spatially resolved information on root systems. In this study, we aim to establish relationships between tomographic electrical polarization signatures and root traits of different fine root systems (maize, pinto bean, black bean, and soy bean) under hydroponic conditions. RESULTS: Our results show that, with the use of an optimized data acquisition scheme, sEIT is capable of providing spatially resolved information on root biomass and root surface area for all investigated root systems. We found strong correlations between the total polarization strength and the root biomass ( R 2 = 0.82 ) and root surface area ( R 2 = 0.8 ). Our findings suggest that the captured polarization signature is dominated by cell-scale polarization processes. Additionally, we demonstrate that the resolution characteristics of the measurement scheme can have a significant impact on the tomographic reconstruction of root traits. CONCLUSION: Our findings showcase that sEIT is a promising tool for the tomographic reconstruction of root traits in high-throughput root phenotyping trials and should be evaluated as a substitute for traditional, often time-consuming, root characterization methods.

Two studies were conducted, first to assess differential response of corn hybrids to starter fertilizer in terms of early plant growth, maturity, phosphorus (P) uptake, grain moisture, grain yield and second, to assess rooting differences between hybrids determined to be either responsive or non-responsive to starter fertilizer. The first study consisted of a field experiment to evaluate corn response to starter nitrogen (N) plus P and starter P alone. Both starter treatments, starter N plus P and starter P alone, resulted in an overall increase in grain yield. However, when responses were analyzed for individual hybrids, the increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P or starter P alone was significant for DKC26-28RIB, but not the other seven hybrids. Differential response in grain moisture was observed at one site-year where grain moisture at harvest with starter P alone was lower for DKC26-28RIB, but higher for DKC33-78RIB, compared to no starter. Hybrids did not differ in early season biomass, P uptake, days required to reach silking, or plant height response to starter N plus P or P alone. In the second study, early seedling root length and root surface area of hybrids were measured and evaluated for their relationship with response to starter N plus P and P alone from the field experiments. Eight hybrids were grown in germination pouches for 11 days at 11.5/8.5°C (16hr/8hr) without light or supplemental nutrients. Digital images were captured and analyzed to measure root length and surface area. At 11 days, root length and surface area were related to percent increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P, with R2 values of 0.68 and 0.67, respectively. However, root length and surface area were not related to percent grain yield increase due to starter P alone. Furthermore, root length and surface area were not related to percent increase in early season biomass, P uptake, days to silking, plant height, or grain moisture at harvest due to starter N plus P

Two studies were conducted, first to assess differential response of corn hybrids to starter fertilizer in terms of early plant growth, maturity, phosphorus (P) uptake, grain moisture, grain yield and second, to assess rooting differences between hybrids determined to be either responsive or non-responsive to starter fertilizer. The first study consisted of a field experiment to evaluate corn response to starter nitrogen (N) plus P and starter P alone. Both starter treatments, starter N plus P and starter P alone, resulted in an overall increase in grain yield. However, when responses were analyzed for individual hybrids, the increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P or starter P alone was significant for DKC26-28RIB, but not the other seven hybrids. Differential response in grain moisture was observed at one site-year where grain moisture at harvest with starter P alone was lower for DKC26-28RIB, but higher for DKC33-78RIB, compared to no starter. Hybrids did not differ in early season biomass, P uptake, days required to reach silking, or plant height response to starter N plus P or P alone. In the second study, early seedling root length and root surface area of hybrids were measured and evaluated for their relationship with response to starter N plus P and P alone from the field experiments. Eight hybrids were grown in germination pouches for 11 days at 11.5/8.5°C (16hr/8hr) without light or supplemental nutrients. Digital images were captured and analyzed to measure root length and surface area. At 11 days, root length and surface area were related to percent increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P, with R2 values of 0.68 and 0.67, respectively. However, root length and surface area were not related to percent grain yield increase due to starter P alone. Furthermore, root length and surface area were not related to percent increase in early season biomass, P uptake, days to silking, plant height, or grain moisture at harvest due to starter N plus P

Two studies were conducted, first to assess differential response of corn hybrids to starter fertilizer in terms of early plant growth, maturity, phosphorus (P) uptake, grain moisture, grain yield and second, to assess rooting differences between hybrids determined to be either responsive or non-responsive to starter fertilizer. The first study consisted of a field experiment to evaluate corn response to starter nitrogen (N) plus P and starter P alone. Both starter treatments, starter N plus P and starter P alone, resulted in an overall increase in grain yield. However, when responses were analyzed for individual hybrids, the increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P or starter P alone was significant for DKC26-28RIB, but not the other seven hybrids. Differential response in grain moisture was observed at one site-year where grain moisture at harvest with starter P alone was lower for DKC26-28RIB, but higher for DKC33-78RIB, compared to no starter. Hybrids did not differ in early season biomass, P uptake, days required to reach silking, or plant height response to starter N plus P or P alone. In the second study, early seedling root length and root surface area of hybrids were measured and evaluated for their relationship with response to starter N plus P and P alone from the field experiments. Eight hybrids were grown in germination pouches for 11 days at 11.5/8.5°C (16hr/8hr) without light or supplemental nutrients. Digital images were captured and analyzed to measure root length and surface area. At 11 days, root length and surface area were related to percent increase in grain yield due to starter N plus P, with R2 values of 0.68 and 0.67, respectively. However, root length and surface area were not related to percent grain yield increase due to starter P alone. Furthermore, root length and surface area were not related to percent increase in early season biomass, P uptake, days to silking, plant height, or grain moisture at harvest due to starter N plus P

Coffee is a crop of great economic importance in Brazil. To ensure high productivity, and profitability irrigation management becomes important. The knowledge of the crop’s root system is of utmost importance for the development of the crop as for the correct management of irrigation. The objective of this study was to characterize the root system of the Conilon coffee plant under localized irrigation. The experiment was carried out in two cultivated areas in São Mateus-ES, in a completely randomized design in a plot subdivided 4 x 6, four points concerning the plant and six depths, with five replications. There were two in the line and six in line with a distance between them 0.20 m. The line between the coffee portion is divided into 6 x 5, five points concerning the plantation, and the depth of six tracks, with five repetitions. Volume, surface area, length, and root diameter were evaluated. The coffee Conilon under drip under (area 01) showed 74.5% and 64.5% (sandy to medium texture), and 75.4% and 70.2% (sandy to clay texture) of the volume and root surface area, concentrated up to the depth of 0.30 m. The root system of the Conilon genotype 02 presented 70.5% of the root volume for both textures studied, up to 0,60 m of the plant’s trunk. The root surface area was 69% and 66.4% up to 0.60 m of the plant’s trunk for areas 01 and 02, respectively., El café es un cultivo de gran importancia económica en Brasil. Para asegurar una alta productividad y rentabilidad se vuelve importante el manejo del riego. El conocimiento del sistema radicular del cultivo es de suma importancia para el desarrollo del cultivo como para el correcto manejo del riego. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar el sistema radicular de la planta de café Conilon bajo riego localizado. El experimento se llevó a cabo en dos áreas cultivadas en São Mateus-ES, en un diseño completamente al azar en una parcela subdividida: 4 x 6, cuatro puntos con respecto a la planta y seis profundidades, con cinco repeticiones. Siendo dos en línea y seis entre línea con una distancia entre ellas de 0,20 m; 6 x 5, cinco puntos en referencia a la plantación y seis bandas de profundidad, con cinco repeticiones. Se evaluó el volumen, área superficial, longitud y diámetro de raíz. El café Conilon bajo goteo (área 01) mostró 74,5% y 64,5% (en textura arenosa a media), y 75,4% y 70,2% (en textura arenosa a arcillosa) del volumen y área de la superficie radicular, concentrada hasta la profundidad de 0,30 m. Em el sistema de raíces del genotipo Conilon 2, el 70,5% presento un volumen de raíz para ambas texturas estudiadas a 0,60 m del tallo de la planta. El área superficial de raíz fue de 69% y 66,4% hasta 0,60 m del tronco del árbol para las áreas 01 y 02, respectivamente.

Tropical forests in Borneo maintain a high level of productivity/biomass even under phosphorus (P)-limited conditions. The P-acquisition properties of roots may be an important factor that contributes to forest productivity, but they have not been well evaluated compared with above-ground properties of plants. In this study, we analysed root acid phosphatase activity and morphological properties (surface area, diameter and tissue density of roots) of dominant tree species in three tropical montane forests on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, to investigate changes in root properties along a soil P availability gradient. We found at the community level that root phosphatase activity and specific root surface area (root surface area per gram root biomass) increased, and root diameter decreased, with decreasing soil P availability at the community level, and the relationship was not changed in general even if we focused on a single-tree species distributed across multiple study sites that differ in soil P availability. Root acid phosphatase was significantly positively correlated with specific root surface area, and negatively correlated with root diameter, suggesting that finer roots have higher phosphatase activities. Furthermore, we compared root acid phosphatase activity with leaf P concentration of a given tree species and found a significant negative correlation between them. The significant correlation suggested that root P-acquisition properties could influence leaf P concentration, and/or vice versa. Below-ground properties (i.e. root P-acquisition properties) might be directly/indirectly linked to above-ground properties (i.e. leaf P concentration) of a tree individual. In conclusion, the root physiological and morphological properties change along a gradient of soil P availability in the tropical montane forests. In addition, the changes in the root properties are coordinated with the changes in leaf P concentrations. The adaptive changes in the above-ground and below-g