In soil, nitrogen (N), an essential macronutrient for plant growth, exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. This necessitates plants to grapple with a complex array of environmental conditions in ...

When we admire a lush tomato plant, colorful flowers or a productive squash vine, we only see half of the plant. Hidden beneath the soil, the root system is constantly supplying water, nutrients and ...

Plants have colonised the vast majority of the Earth's surface. So what is the key to their success? People often think of plants as simple, senseless life forms. They may live rooted in one place, ...

The plant root system is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that houses a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protists, etc. These microorganisms together form the root ...

Decaying matter shapes life in soil, but it can also create hostile zones for growing roots. Professor Jiří Friml of the ...

As soils become saltier, roots are deploying remarkable survival strategies that could help safeguard future food supplies.

Some plants reproduce by creating genetically identical copies of themselves. These organisms can survive for centuries, functioning as a single entity. Pando, a quaking aspen colony in Utah, is one ...

You can’t construct a strong building on a weak foundation, and you can’t grow a great corn crop on a weak root system. From freezing temperatures to voracious underground pests and other threats, ...