Coupled X-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth.

Abstract

Soil compaction and escalating global drought increase soil strength and stiffness. It remains unclear which plant root biomechanical mechanisms/traits enable growth in these harsh conditions. Here, we combine synchrotron X-ray computed tomography with spatially resolved X-ray diffraction to characterize the biomechanics of a replica root-soil system. We map the strain field around the root tip analog, finding strong agreement with finite element simulations, thereby demonstrating a promising new in vivo measurement protocol.

Plant phenotyping relevance

根の生育に関わる土壌内の力学的状態・ひずみを、X線CTと回折で可視化・定量する新しいin vivo測定プロトコルを開発・検証しており、植物表現型取得法が中心です。

Code and data availability

The paper's Data availability and Code availability statements both deposit the study's XCT/XRD imaging and diffraction data and the processing scripts in the University of Southampton Pure repository (DOI 10.5258/SOTON/D3309), which is an allowed URL. These are paper-specific, publicly declared assets directly reprodu