UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A novel use of a custom laser system — developed in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences eight years ago — allows researchers to see how soil organisms affect plant roots. The discovery has implications for future breeding of more resilient and productive crops, according to an international team of scientists.
“This research shows how we can use laser ablation tomography — often referred to as LAT — to visualize the anatomy of roots from several crop species, and see how soil organisms such as fungi, herbivorous nematodes and insects interact with these roots in three dimensions,” said Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant science.