Coupled x-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth

James Le Houx; Daniel Mckay Fletcher; Alberto Leonardi; Katherine Anne Williams; Nancy Walker; Fernando Alvarez-Borges; Ebrahim Afsar Dizaj; Madhu Murthy; Ronan Smith; Liam Perera; Navid Aslani; Andrew James; Sharif Ahmed; Tiina Roose; Siul Ruiz

doi:10.1038/s44341-025-00021-7

Coupled x-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth

James Le Houx
, Daniel Mckay Fletcher
, Alberto Leonardi
, Katherine Anne Williams
, Nancy Walker
, Fernando Alvarez-Borges
, Ebrahim Afsar Dizaj
, Madhu Murthy
, Ronan Smith
, Liam Perera
, Navid Aslani
, Andrew James
, Sharif Ahmed
, Tiina Roose
, Siul Ruiz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Soil compaction and escalating global drought increase soil strength and stiffness. It remains unclear which plant root biomechanical mechanisms/traits enable growth in these harsh conditions. Here, we combine synchrotron X-ray computed tomography with spatially resolved X-ray diffraction to characterize the biomechanics of a replica root-soil system. We map the strain field around the root tip analogue, finding strong agreement with finite element simulations, thereby demonstrating a promising new in-vivo measurement protocol.

Original language	English
Journal	npj Biological Physics and Mechanics
Volume	2
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s44341-025-00021-7
Publication status	Print publication - 3 Jul 2025

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10.1038/s44341-025-00021-7Licence: CC BY

Coupled X-ray imaging diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growthFinal published version, 1.56 MBLicence: CC BY

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Houx, J. L., Fletcher, D. M., Leonardi, A., Williams, K. A., Walker, N., Alvarez-Borges, F., Dizaj, E. A., Murthy, M., Smith, R., Perera, L., Aslani, N., James, A., Ahmed, S., Roose, T., & Ruiz, S. (2025). Coupled x-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth. npj Biological Physics and Mechanics, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44341-025-00021-7

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AU - Houx, James Le

AU - Fletcher, Daniel Mckay

AU - Leonardi, Alberto

AU - Williams, Katherine Anne

AU - Walker, Nancy

AU - Alvarez-Borges, Fernando

AU - Dizaj, Ebrahim Afsar

AU - Murthy, Madhu

AU - Smith, Ronan

AU - Perera, Liam

AU - Aslani, Navid

AU - James, Andrew

AU - Ahmed, Sharif

AU - Roose, Tiina

AU - Ruiz, Siul

PY - 2025/7/3

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AB - Soil compaction and escalating global drought increase soil strength and stiffness. It remains unclear which plant root biomechanical mechanisms/traits enable growth in these harsh conditions. Here, we combine synchrotron X-ray computed tomography with spatially resolved X-ray diffraction to characterize the biomechanics of a replica root-soil system. We map the strain field around the root tip analogue, finding strong agreement with finite element simulations, thereby demonstrating a promising new in-vivo measurement protocol.

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DO - 10.1038/s44341-025-00021-7

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JO - npj Biological Physics and Mechanics

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IS - 1

ER -

Coupled x-ray imaging/diffraction reveals soil mechanics during analogous root growth

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