Monitoring structural and physiological properties of crop roots using spectral electrical impedance tomography

This poster was created for the annual ABC/J Summer Festival, http://www.geoverbund-abcj.de

A better understanding of root-soil interactions and associated hydrological processes is essential for improving models of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Only few methods exist for the characterization and monitoring of roots in a non-invasive manner, especially for the field scale. We here propose spectral electrical impedance tomography (sEIT) for the non-invasive imaging and characterization of crop root systems.
While still in its infancy regarding biogeophysical applications, it combines unique properties of being sensitive to both structure and function of plant roots, as well as near-universal applicability on both the laboratory and the field scales.