Modelling of biopores effects on soybean root growth

• Grant number: 23/01463-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Moacir Tuzzin de Moraes
• Grantee: Ana Laura Haddad Bistane
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Soil physical limitations to root growth are considered the main reason to yield limitation of agricultural crops, even in no-tillage system. Biopores in no-tillage are few studied and there is no quantify of those effects for mitigation of water and mechanical stresses to root elongation. The objective of this work is to parameterize the effect of biopores to mitigation of water and mechanical stresses to soybean root elongation under no-tillage. Experiments with soil samples with preserved and unstructured structures will be conducted to determine the impact of water stress (matric potential) and mechanical stress (soil penetration resistance) on soybean root elongation. Soil samples will be collected in long-term experiment with no-tillage; and compaction levels will be simulated in the laboratory for analysis of root growth and determination of soil physical properties. Measurements of soil physical properties (bulk density, soil penetration resistance, soil water retention curve and pore size distribution) and plants (root length, root architecture parameters) will be performed. Soybean root growth will be simulate considering the models with and without the presence of biopores using RootBox software. The results of root growth modeling will be validated with soybean root growth measurements from field experiments.