Le Houx, James, Mckay Fletcher, Daniel, Leonardi, Alberto, Williams, Katherine Anne, Walker, Nancy, Alvarez-Borges, Fernando, Afsar Dizaj, Ebrahim, Murthy, Madhu, Smith, Ronan, Perera, Liam, Aslani, Navid, James, Andrew, Ahmed, Sharif, Roose, Tiina and Ruiz, Siul (2025) Coupled x-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth. npj Biological Physics and Mechanics. (In Press)
Abstract
Soil compaction and escalating global drought increase soil strength and stiffness. It remains unclear which plant root biomechanical mechanisms/traits enable growth in these harsh conditions. Here, we combine synchrotron X-ray computed
tomography with spatially resolved X-ray diffraction to characterize the biomechanics of a replica root-soil system. We map the strain field around the root tip analogue, finding strong agreement with finite element simulations, thereby demonstrating a promising new in-vivo measurement protocol.
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