@article{CarminatiSchneiderMoradietal.2011, author = {Carminati, Andrea and Schneider, Christoph L. and Moradi, Ahmad B. and Zarebanadkouki, Mohsen and Vetterlein, Doris and Vogel, Hans-J{\"o}rg and Hildebrandt, Anke and Weller, Ulrich and Sch{\"u}ler, Lennart and Oswald, Sascha Eric}, title = {How the rhizosphere may favor water availability to roots}, series = {Vadose zone journal}, volume = {10}, journal = {Vadose zone journal}, number = {3}, publisher = {Soil Science Society of America}, address = {Madison}, issn = {1539-1663}, doi = {10.2136/vzj2010.0113}, pages = {988 -- 998}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Recent studies have shown that rhizosphere hydraulic properties may differ from those of the bulk soil. Specifically, mucilage at the root-soil interface may increase the rhizosphere water holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity during drying. The goal of this study was to point out the implications of such altered rhizosphere hydraulic properties for soil-plant water relations. We addressed this problem through modeling based on a steady-rate approach. We calculated the water flow toward a single root assuming that the rhizosphere and bulk soil were two concentric cylinders having different hydraulic properties. Based on our previous experimental results, we assumed that the rhizosphere had higher water holding capacity and unsaturated conductivity than the bulk soil. The results showed that the water potential gradients in the rhizosphere were much smaller than in the bulk soil. The consequence is that the rhizosphere attenuated and delayed the drop in water potential in the vicinity of the root surface when the soil dried. This led to increased water availability to plants, as well as to higher effective conductivity under unsaturated conditions. The reasons were two: (i) thanks to the high unsaturated conductivity of the rhizosphere, the radius of water uptake was extended from the root to the rhizosphere surface; and (ii) thanks to the high soil water capacity of the rhizosphere, the water depletion in the bulk soil was compensated by water depletion in the rhizosphere. We conclude that under the assumed conditions, the rhizosphere works as an optimal hydraulic conductor and as a reservoir of water that can be taken up when water in the bulk soil becomes limiting.}, language = {en} } @article{MoradiCarminatiLamparteretal.2012, author = {Moradi, Ahmad B. and Carminati, Andrea and Lamparter, Axel and Woche, Susanne K. and Bachmann, J{\"o}rg and Vetterlein, Doris and Vogel, Hans-J{\"o}rg and Oswald, Sascha Eric}, title = {Is the rhizosphere temporarily water repellent?}, series = {Vadose zone journal}, volume = {11}, journal = {Vadose zone journal}, number = {3}, publisher = {Soil Science Society of America}, address = {Madison}, issn = {1539-1663}, doi = {10.2136/vzj2011.0120}, pages = {8}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The rhizosphere has a controlling role in the flow of water and nutrients from soil to plant roots; however, its hydraulic properties are not well understood. As roots grow, they change the pore size distribution of the surrounding soil. Roots release polymeric substances such as mucilage into their rhizosphere. Microorganisms living in the rhizosphere feed on these organic materials and release other polymeric substances into the rhizosphere. The presence of these organic materials might affect the water retention properties and the hydraulic conductivity of the rhizosphere soil during drying and rewetting. We used neutron radiography to monitor the dynamics of water distribution in the rhizosphere of lupin (Lupinus albus L.) plants during a period of drying and rewetting. The rhizosphere was shown to have a higher water content than the bulk soil during the drying period but a lower one during the subsequent rewetting. We evaluated the wettability of the bulk soil and the rhizosphere soil by measuring the contact angle of water in the soil. We found significantly higher contact angles for the rhizosphere soil than the bulk soil after drying, which indicates slight water repellency in the rhizosphere. This explains the lower soil water content in the rhizosphere than the bulk soil after rewetting. Our results suggest that the water holding capacity of the rhizosphere is dynamic and might shift toward higher or lower values than those of the surrounding bulk soil, not affected by roots, depending on the history of drying and rewetting cycles.}, language = {en} } @article{MoradiCarminatiVetterleinetal.2011, author = {Moradi, Ahmad B. and Carminati, Andrea and Vetterlein, Doris and Vontobel, Peter and Lehmann, Eberhard and Weller, Ulrich and Hopmans, Jan W. and Vogel, Hans-J{\"o}rg and Oswald, Sascha Eric}, title = {Three-dimensional visualization and quantification of water content in the rhizosphere}, series = {New phytologist : international journal of plant science}, volume = {192}, journal = {New phytologist : international journal of plant science}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0028-646X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03826.x}, pages = {653 -- 663}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Despite the importance of rhizosphere properties for water flow from soil to roots, there is limited quantitative information on the distribution of water in the rhizosphere of plants. Here, we used neutron tomography to quantify and visualize the water content in the rhizosphere of the plant species chickpea (Cicer arietinum), white lupin (Lupinus albus), and maize (Zea mays) 12 d after planting. We clearly observed increasing soil water contents (h) towards the root surface for all three plant species, as opposed to the usual assumption of decreasing water content. This was true for tap roots and lateral roots of both upper and lower parts of the root system. Furthermore, water gradients around the lower part of the roots were smaller and extended further into bulk soil compared with the upper part, where the gradients in water content were steeper. Incorporating the hydraulic conductivity and water retention parameters of the rhizosphere into our model, we could simulate the gradual changes of h towards the root surface, in agreement with the observations. The modelling result suggests that roots in their rhizosphere may modify the hydraulic properties of soil in a way that improves uptake under dry conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{RudolphEsserCarminatietal.2012, author = {Rudolph, Nicole and Esser, Hanna G. and Carminati, Andrea and Moradi, Ahmad B. and Hilger, Andre and Kardjilov, Nikolay and Nagl, Stefan and Oswald, Sascha Eric}, title = {Dynamic oxygen mapping in the root zone by fluorescence dye imaging combined with neutron radiography}, series = {Journal of soils and sediments : protection, risk assessment and remediation}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of soils and sediments : protection, risk assessment and remediation}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, issn = {1439-0108}, doi = {10.1007/s11368-011-0407-7}, pages = {63 -- 74}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The rooted zone of a soil, more precisely the rhizosphere, is a very dynamic system. Some of the key processes are water uptake and root respiration. We have developed a novel method for measuring the real-time distribution of water and oxygen concentration in the rhizosphere as a biogeochemical interface in soil. This enables understanding where and when roots are active in respect to root respiration and water uptake and how the soil responds to it. We used glass containers (15 x 15 x 1 cm), which were filled with a quartz sand mixture. Sensor foils for fluorescence dye imaging of O-2 were installed on the inner side of the containers. A lupine plant was grown in each container for 2 weeks under controlled conditions. Then we took time series of fluorescence images for time-lapsed visualization of oxygen depletion caused by root respiration. Changing water content was mapped in parallel by non-invasive neutron radiography, which yields water content distributions in high spatial resolution. Also it can detect the root system of the lupine plants. By this combined imaging of the samples, a range of water contents and different oxygen concentration levels, both induced by root activities, could be assessed. We monitored the dynamics of these vital parameters induced by roots during a period of several hours. We observed that for high water saturation, the oxygen concentration decreased in parts of the container. The accompanying neutron radiographies gave us the information that these locations are spatially correlated to roots. Therefore, it can be concluded that the observed oxygen deficits close to the roots result from root respiration and show up while re-aeration from atmosphere by gas phase transport is restricted by the high water saturation. Our coupled imaging setup was able to monitor the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of oxygen and water content in a night and day cycle. This reflects complex plant activities such as photosynthesis, transpiration, and metabolic activities impacting the root-soil interface. Our experimental setup provides the possibility to non-invasively visualize these parameters with high resolution. The particular oxygen imaging method as well as the combination with simultaneously mapping the water content by neutron radiography is a novelty.}, language = {en} } @article{RudolphVossMoradietal.2013, author = {Rudolph, Nicole and Voss, Sebastian and Moradi, Ahmad B. and Nagl, Stefan and Oswald, Sascha Eric}, title = {Spatio-temporal mapping of local soil pH changes induced by roots of lupin and soft-rush}, series = {Plant and soil}, volume = {369}, journal = {Plant and soil}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0032-079X}, doi = {10.1007/s11104-013-1775-0}, pages = {669 -- 680}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The rhizosphere is a dynamic system strongly influenced by root activity. Roots modify the pH of their surrounding soil causing the soil pH to vary as a function of distance from root surface, location along root axes, and root maturity. Non-invasive imaging techniques provide the possibility to capture pH patterns around the roots as they develop. We developed a novel fluorescence imaging set up and applied to the root system of two lupin (Lupinus albus L., Lupinus angustifolius L.) and one soft-rush (Juncus effusus L.) species. We grew plants in glass containers filled with soil and equipped with fluorescence sensor foils on the container side walls. We gained highly-resolved data on the spatial distribution of H+ around the roots by taking time-lapse images of the samples over the course of several days. We showed how the soil pH in the vicinity of roots developed over time to different values from that of the original bulk soil. The soil pH in the immediate vicinity of the root surface varied greatly along the root length, with the most acidic point being at 0.56-3.36 mm behind the root tip. Indications were also found for temporal soil pH changes due to root maturity. In conclusion, this study shows that this novel optical fluorescence imaging set up is a powerful tool for studying pH developments around roots in situ.}, language = {en} }