CID Bio-Science, November 2015, Roots and Dormancy
March 30, 2016 at 5:42 am | Updated March 30, 2016 at 5:42 am |
2 min read
The Hidden Half of Plants
Even when photosynthesis all but stops in evergreens, and deciduous plants lose their leaves, the part of plants hiding in the soil remains active. Roots experience a buffered environment—no wind, less severe temperature shifts, and no change in light exposure.
Our CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager was designed to make roots visible with as little disturbance as possible. Our transparent root tubes have water-tight bottom end caps and a long insulated inner cap to prevent air temperature fluctuations and condensation. When roots grow around the exterior of the root tubes, they give researchers the ability to see root branching patterns and architecture that destructive measurements could never convey. Image data is available right in the field, and further quantification is easier than ever before with our free CI-690 RootSnap! Image Analysis Software.
Our Application Scientists are happy to discuss tube installation techniques and provide complimentary, unlimited training on the CI-600 Root Imager and free CI-690 RootSnap! Image Analysis Software.
Visit our website or contact us to learn more about our root imaging and analysis technology!
Agricultural Grants Available
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We are currently offering grants toward the purchase of the CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager for use in commercial agriculture!
Field Notes: Producing high-nutrient corn silage with help from our In-Situ Root Imager.
Dr. Mumtaz Cheema from Memorial University is using the CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager to study corn plants. The goal of his research is to boost Newfoundland’s agricultural industry by empowering farmers to cultivate a new kind of corn silage that will better nourish cattle.
Dr. Cheema and his team of faculty and researchers finished their first corn harvest earlier this fall, and will be conducting this study over the next two years. The CI-600 will be used throughout the growing season to monitor the corn roots as they grow.
According to Dr. Cheema, “we can analyze it through software, actually, and that will tell us how root length is, root diameters, root hairs—all the root characteristics.” Observing and analyzing the corn roots with the CI-600 and CI-690 RootSnap! software will help these researchers understand which roots can thrive in the rocky Newfoundland soil.
Dr. Mumtaz Cheema is an associate professor at the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University in Newfoundland. The focus of his research program is to develop productive and sustainable agroecosystems. Over the years, he has studied integrated nutrient management, abiotic stress management strategies specifically induction of tolerance through seed priming and exogenous application of compatible organic solutes, osmoprotectants and hormones under stressed conditions (saline, drought, cold and temperature stress). –Grenfell Campus
