Articles
How Do mixed-species systems Improve Root Growth, Soil Health, and Crop Yields?
Root systems in monoculture and mixed species systems create very different soil environments that influence resource availability and microbial interactions. Root plasticity allows plants to respond to neighbors by varying traits such as distribution, rooting depth, root biomass, root length density, average diameter, and fine root production. Yield, yield stability, resource-use efficiency, land-use efficiency, and… Continue reading…
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Ecosystem-Level Root Production and Mortality in Response to Climate Change
Increasing carbon dioxide produces various root production and root mortality trends in different ecosystems Temperature rises increase root production, with diverse effects on root mortality. Drought can initially increase root production, but as water deficit intensity and duration increase, it reduces root production and increases root mortality. Differences in root quantification methods can make global… Continue reading…
How Often Do I Need to Recalibrate My CI‑110?
Researchers rely on accurate canopy measurements to understand plant growth, light interception, and ecosystem dynamics. That is why many users ask about CI-110 recalibration when they begin working with the Plant Canopy Imager. The good news is that the CI-110 is designed to minimize recalibration requirements while maintaining reliable measurements in the field. With a… Continue reading…
Can I Use the CI‑600 Root Imager in Sandy Soils?
Yes, the CI-600 Root Imager can be used in sandy soils, and in many cases sandy sites are actually well suited to this kind of root work. The bigger point, though, is that success in sand comes down to installation quality, tube stability, and a workflow built for repeated, non-destructive measurements over time. The CI-600… Continue reading…
What Happens If My Canopy Profiles Change Mid‑Season?
Canopy profiles rarely stay still for an entire growing season. That is exactly why tracking canopy profiles matters. A crop can look uniform in early vegetative growth, then shift quickly once row closure, heat stress, nutrient differences, pruning, lodging, disease pressure, or irrigation variation start changing leaf angle, canopy density, and light penetration. When canopy… Continue reading…
Is the CI‑340 Accurate Enough for Photosynthesis Rate Comparisons?
For researchers running photosynthesis rate comparisons, the real question is usually not whether a handheld system can produce useful data. It is whether the instrument is stable, repeatable, and flexible enough to support side by side measurements across treatments, genotypes, environments, or time points. On that standard, the CI-340 makes a strong case. CID Bio-Science… Continue reading…
Do I Need a Laptop to Operate the CI‑110?
If you are wondering, “do I need a laptop to operate the CI-110,” the practical answer is no. The CI-110 Plant Canopy Imager is designed to work as a self-contained field instrument, which is a big deal when you are collecting canopy data outside the lab. Instead of building your workflow around a separate computer,… Continue reading…
