The Rhizosphere: measuring the zone of interaction

22 Feb 2019

Dr Eoin Lettice has recently published a review paper addressing the challenges to measuring the spatial extent of the rhizosphere - the zone of interaction between plant roots and the soil.

The publication outlines the difficulties in conclusively defining the rhizosphere and the most recent advances in how the zone can be measured. According to Dr Lettice, "the case is made that the rhizosphere is typically more extensive than the few millimetres often described in the literature".
"Given the huge amount of interest in exploiting the rhizosphere and the rhizobiome for sustainable crop production, it was important for this publication to clarify the terminology and propose the basic rules by which researchers can measure the spatial extent of the rhizosphere", said Dr Lettice.

The paper has been published this week in Annual Plant Reviews Online