Adapting Roots to A Hotter Planet Could Ease Pressure on Food Supply
Published:02 Aug.2021 Source:University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center
The shoots of plants get all of the glory, with their fruit and flowers and visible structure. But it's the portion that lies below the soil -- the branching, reaching arms of roots and hairs pulling up water and nutrients -- that interests plant physiologist and computer scientist, Alexander Bucksch, associate professor of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia.
The health and growth of the root system has deep implications for our future. Our ability to grow enough food to support the population despite a changing climate, and to fix carbon from the atmosphere in the soil are critical to our, and other species', survival. The solutions, Bucksch believes, lie in the qualities of roots.