A fast root growth is always an important factor as it helps the plant establish faster. The root architecture is also very important under drought situations where there is still water at deeper soil layers.
Together with Copenhagen University, DLF is testing the root architecture of varieties at the worlds most advanced root screening facility, RadiMax. It enables imaging of roots down to 3.0 m depth and at the same time the grasses can be exposed to increasing drought conditions through a soil moisture gradient, which can be induced in the system. In this way, we can screen the root architecture of our varieties and find out which ones can perform under drought conditions.
A cross section of the RadiMax root screening facility