Root Lab

The Root Laboratory is a comprehensive and unique research facility where the effects of environmental conditions on aboveground and underground plant and soil processes can be studied, especially in the context of climate change. Root laboratory platform is part of European AnaEE research infrastructure.

The Joensuu Root Laboratory is a comprehensive and unique research facility developed for whole plant research, where the effects of environmental conditions on aboveground and underground plant and soil processes (such as soil moisture and temperature conditions, nutrient content, and soil type) can be studied, especially in the context of climate change. 

Air and soil temperature and moisture conditions can be adjusted independently from each other, and the annual cycle of the studied plants can be accelerated. Light conditions (such as light intensity and day length) can also be adjusted. 

Experimental activities are related to the physiology, anatomy, morphology, phenology, and growth of roots and aboveground parts. The general framework of the research connects to plant adaptation and acclimation to varying and changing weather and climate conditions, the effects of environmental conditions on plant growth and production, and the carbon and nutrient cycles of trees and forests. Plant-soil-microbe interactions can also be studied.

The effects of environmental conditions on the underground and aboveground parts of plants can be monitored continuously and/or at specific intervals. This allows for detailed studies of the dynamics of root and shoot reactions, carbon sequestration, and its distribution between plant parts in response to changing environmental factors. Air and soil temperature and moisture data can be recorded and accessed remotely.

The growth and phenology of roots and aboveground plant parts are studied using the minirhizotron method (root identification with AI), shoot length and diameter measurements, leaf area measurements, and determination of biomass allocation to different plant parts. 

Physiological measurements include gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll index, stem sap flow, plant water potential, and root hydraulic conductivity measurements. One specialty is electrical impedance spectroscopy, which can be used to study plant stress and damage. The structure of the root system is studied from scanned roots using specialized software. Gas concentrations in the soil and fluxes between the soil and air are measured with a gas analyzer. Plant stress can be additionally determined with a near-infrared spectrophotometer.

The Joensuu Root Laboratory is part of the international AnaEE research infrastructure network.

The Root Laboratory is participating in EU-funded projects.

• Plant acclimatisation and adaptation to variable and changing weather and climatic conditions.
• Environmental conditions affecting plant growth, production and survival.
• Carbon cycle and biomass partitioning.