Research for healthy production systems

Our Agro-Ecology and Cropping Systems program focuses on the ecophysiological mechanisms of soil-plant-water interactions for improving water use efficiency and soil health in cropping systems. Our main research areas are:

• Characterization of plant traits for improved water acquisition, adaptation and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses;
• Application of ground-based sensors for remote detection of soil, plant root and canopy features;
• Quantification of soil parameters that indicate microbial and root activities under natural and managed ecosystems; and
• Quantitative models that describe soil water movement, plant root water uptake in agricultural soils.