| NSF Org: |
IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 17, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 16, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2034351 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Keith Reinhardt
kreinhar@nsf.gov (703)292-4854 IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,199,959.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,199,959.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2021 = $370,975.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
341 PINE TREE RD ITHACA NY US 14850-2820 (607)255-5014 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
168 Plant Science Building Ithaca NY US 14853-5904 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): |
Integrtv Ecological Physiology, Special Initiatives, PROJECTS, Plant-Biotic Interactions, Plant Genome Research Project |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
Advances in agricultural practices have increased crop productivity in recent years but at the cost of soil quality. Soil and plant roots represent critical components in terrestrial carbon sequestration. The physics, chemistry and biology in this zone play central roles in global organic carbon, nitrogen and water cycles, and in a large part drive plant productivity. The opacity of soil coupled with the dynamic nature of the soil-root system have severely limited direct observations that would allow precise interventions as part of soil and plant management. New developments in subterranean exploration technology provide opportunities to probe the intricate relationship between roots and their surrounding soil environment. The investigators will integrate novel biologically inspired robotics; specifically soil endoscopes with fiber optics for soil and near root sensing and root growth and dynamics image capture, and novel soil sensing technology, for measurements of water and soil organic carbon dynamics. Developing this suite of novel tools will enable new means to interrogate the soil and specifically to address questions about roots, the ?hidden half? of plants. This interdisciplinary effort has the potential to advance current belowground sensor systems across temporal and spatial scales to enable breeding efforts that directly affect food productivity and security. The project builds upon established programs that stimulate interest and engagement in science and engineering for girls, fosters public engagement in science and promotes training for early-career scientists.
The lack of a suitable technology to measure the interplay of roots, water, and carbon directly at the root-soil interface has severely limited the ability to elucidate the temporal and spatial variation in bulk versus rhizosphere soil processes including root-soil hydraulic contact, rhizosphere metabolite profiling and soil organic carbon forms for inclusion in plant breeding and crop management programs. This work has the potential to significantly unravel several scientific questions including: 1) understanding of how plant roots influence the biophysical environment of the rhizosphere, and 2) quantifying how root exudates alter water in the rhizosphere and key processes in soil organic matter formation. The investigators will use two new methods to navigate and sense roots and soils with minimal disturbance. These advances will allow spatio-temporal measurements of the near-root and bulk soil environment, an important yet overlooked component of agricultural systems where the amount of carbon stored belowground often surpasses aboveground storage. Moreover, integration of above ? and belowground environmental data in maize field trials will allow for a detailed understanding of the interrelationship of plant phenotypes to soil properties.
This award was made through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" solicitation, a collaborative partnership between the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project has successfully advanced the state of in situ rhizosphere sensing and analysis by integrating cutting-edge robotics, nanomaterials, and machine learning techniques. Key innovations include the development of a high-resolution sensing strategy for water relations and carbon content in the rhizosphere, as well as the creation of a subterranean robotic system for autonomous root-zone exploration. These technological advancements have facilitated novel insights into soil drying dynamics, rhizosphere water movement, and root exudate contributions to soil carbon cycling.
Major Accomplishments:
Development of a novel sensing soil endoscope (RoseScope): We designed and built a sensing robotic endoscope with integrated sight, temperature, carbon dioxide, and humidity sensors enabling real-time monitoring of plant roots and soil moisture variations across different soil types. The ROSESCOPE represents a major step forward in underground sensing, offering unparalleled access to real-time soil and root data. This has significant implications for scientific research, sustainable agriculture, and global food security.
AquaDust as a Nanoparticle Reporter for Soil Water Potential: AquaDust, previously validated for plant water potential imaging, was successfully adapted for soil applications. To improve reliability, the team developed AquaSheet, an elastomer-encapsulated version that ensures stable, real-time measurements of rhizosphere water potential in both vapor and liquid phases.
Rhizosphere Water Relations and Root Exudates in Soil Carbon Cycling: A controlled pot trial using maize demonstrated that root-derived carbon accumulation in the rhizosphere increases under drought conditions. These findings suggest a potential role of root exudates in modulating soil organic carbon storage and that roots influence soil chemistry differently under varying moisture conditions. This could reshape how scientists study root function and adaptation.
Multimodal Field Data Integration: The project integrated unmanned aerial vehicle-based multispectral imaging and ground-based LiDAR scans, using machine learning models to examine specific plant features of interest. Preliminary results indicate a strong correlation between these features and healthy vegetation indices, underscoring their potential for high-throughput crop trait characterization.
The combination of these advancements contributes significantly to plant science, soil ecology, and agricultural technology, setting the stage for future studies in sustainable crop management and soil health monitoring.
Broader Impacts
This research has far-reaching implications for sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and STEM education. By developing new tools for rhizosphere analysis, the project enhances our ability to monitor and optimize soil and plant health, ultimately supporting more sustainable food production systems.
Societal and Agricultural Benefits:
The real-time soil monitoring capabilities of RoseScope and AquaSheet can be leveraged for precision agriculture, helping farmers optimize irrigation strategies and improve water use efficiency.
Insights from root exudate-driven SOC accumulation under drought conditions contribute to our understanding of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, which has implications for climate change mitigation.
Advanced machine learning approaches for remote sensing data integration improve our ability to monitor and predict crop performance, aiding in the development of resilient crop varieties.
Training & Outreach:
The project has played a critical role in training the next generation of scientists, providing professional development opportunities for three postdoctoral researchers and three female graduate students. Additionally, the research team has actively participated in STEM outreach programs, including:
CROPPS CURIE & Expanding Your Horizons (EYH): Engaging young students in plant science and robotics through interactive demonstrations.
CTALYST Program: Showcasing RoseScope and AquaDust technologies to promote interest in sustainable agriculture and environmental monitoring.
Last Modified: 03/13/2025
Modified by: Taryn Bauerle
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
