Core Project 3 measures the soil-root zones of crops with minimally or non-invasive sensors and robotic technology concentrating on sensing and predicting root performance in the field. New technologies such as 3D imaging methods gather information on the spatial organization of subsurface soil at the field scale. We aim to assemble the tools to collect and apply soil-root zone data to structural function crop models, yield predictions with the goal of optimizing resource inputs on farms in real time.
Research Videos

Gabriel Schaaf, University of Bonn & Andrea Schnepf, Forschungszentrum Jülich (13.05.2022)
27th PhenoRob Seminar Series with Gabriel Schaaf (University of Bonn) & Andrea Schnepf (Forschungszentrum Jülich) on “Crop Responses under Phosphate Deficiency: Integration of Plant Physiology in Sensing and Modelling”

Sugar Beet Shoot and Root Phenotypic Plasticity by S. Hadir et al.
This short paper trailer video is based on the following publication: S. Hadir, T. Gaiser, H. Hüging, M. Athmann, D. Pfarr, R. Kemper, F. Ewert, and S. Seidel, “Sugar Beet Shoot and Root Phenotypic Plasticity to Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and Lime Omission,” Agriculture, vol. 11, iss. 1, 2021. Find more info here: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/1/21

Johannes Postma: Crop Improvement From Phenotyping Roots – Highlights Reveal Expanding Opportunities
Johannes A. Postma is a PhenoRob Member and Researcher at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich Saoirse R. Tracy, Kerstin A. Nagel, Johannes A. Postma, Heike Fassbender, Anton Wasson, Michelle Watt (2020), Crop Improvement from Phenotyping Roots: Highlights Reveal Expanding Opportunities, Trends in Plant Science, Volume 25, Issue 1, Pages 105-118 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2019.10.015

Carbon and Nutrient Stocks in Soil – a Challenge to Soil Ecology and Environmental Sensing
Wulf Amelung, Professor of Soil Science and Soil Ecology at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn and head of the Agrosphere Institute at IBG-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich gives a PhenoRob Interdisciplinary Lecture [PILS] on carbon and nutrient stocks in soil, which pose a challenge to soil ecology and environmental sensing.

Pore-scale simulation of mucilage drainage by Omid Esmaeelipoor Jahromi et al.
This short trailer video is based on the following publication: O. Esmaeelipoor Jahromi, M. Knott, R. K. Janakiram, R. Rahim, and E. Kroener, “Pore-scale simulation of mucilage drainage,” Vadose Zone Journal, vol. e20218, pp. 1-13, 2022. doi:10.1002/vzj2.20218