Department of Plant Sciences

Understanding crop root morphology will enable better understanding of nutrient uptake efficiency and ultimately improve crop management. The ability to observe the rhizosphere with high resolution scanners will allow characterization of root-soil interactions in real-time. High resolution (4800 dpi) desktop scanners were buried in containers filled with soil to characterize root hair development under two water availability levels (-63 and -188 kPa) for canola (Brassica napus), camelina (Camelina sativa), flax (Linum usitatissimum), and lentil (Lens culinaris). Significant main effects were present for water availability (P flax = lentil) had lower RHD (canola = camelina flax). Also notable was the effect of available moisture on root hair geometry (RHG). At -188 kPa, length from root tip to root hair initiation zone decreased and RHL became more variable near the root hair initiation zone as compared to -63 kPa. This novel approach to in situ rhizosphere imaging allowed observation of species differences in root hair development in response to water availability and should be useful in future studies of rhizosphere interactions and crop nutrient management.