Root Scans to Document Fertilizer Response
Root response to fertilizer source and placement were documented with rhizotron scanners
IPNI-2010-USA-ID11
Brigham Young University-Idaho is primarily a teaching university, with some research to support teaching efforts. In the Department of Agribusiness, Plant and Animal Science, the crop physiology class has used rhizotron boxes to monitor root growth for different crops. As part of this rhizotron work, the class has developed several treatments to see the effect of root growth on fertilizer types (N vs. P vs. K), fertilizer placement, drought, and compaction. Read more
Interpretive Summary
A growth chamber rhizotron project was designed to demonstrate the influence of plant nutrients on root growth using time-lapse videos. A secondary goal was to develop a teaching tool that could be shared with other educational institutions for classroom demonstration of root development. The rhizotron project continues to be a laboratory experience for a crop physiology class and is currently in its 7th semester (approx. 100 students have been involved).
The rhizotron project was initiated to visually examine the response of roots to fertilizer management with two main objectives: (1) in situ classroom demonstration of root growth as influenced by nutrients and (b) creating time-lapse videos of root growth for posting on the internet for wide spread distribution.
Updates & Reports
2010 | Project Description |
Project Leader
Jared Williams, Brigham Young University
Project Cooperators
Kevin Anderson
Blake Willis
IPNI Staff
Location
Americas \ Northern America \ USA \ Idaho