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Browsing by Author Kaestner, A.

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  • Engineering Rhizosphere Hydraulics: Pathways to Improve Plant Adaptation to Drought

    • Authors: Ahmed, M.A.;  Advisor: -;  Participants: Zarebanadkouki, M.; Ahmadi, K.; Kroener, E.; Kostka, S.; Kaestner, A.; Carminati, A. (2018)

  • Rhizoligand treatment quickly and uniformly rewetted the rhizosphere of maize and lupine. Interestingly, rhizoligands also reduced transpiration during drying–wetting cycles. Our hypothesis is that the reduction in transpiration was triggered by the interaction between rhizoligand and mucilage exuded by roots. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that rhizoligand reduced the maximum swelling of mucilage, increased its viscosity, and decreased the hydraulic conductivity of soil–mucilage mixtures. The reduced conductivity of the rhizosphere induced a moderate stress to the plants, reducing transpiration. Rhizoligands increase the rhizosphere wetting kinetics and decrease the maximum...
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  • Microhydrological Niches in Soils: How Mucilage and EPS Alter the Biophysical Properties of the Rhizosphere and Other Biological Hotspots

    • Authors: Benard, P.;  Advisor: -;  Participants: Zarebanadkouki, M.; Brax, M.; Kaltenbach, R.; Jerjen, I.; Marone, F.; Couradeau, E.; Felde, V. J.M.N.L.; Kaestner, A.; Carminati, A. (2019)

  • High‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography revealed that upon drying in porous media, mucilage (from maize [Zea mays L.] roots) and EPS (from intact biocrusts) form filaments and two‐dimensional interconnected structures spanning across multiple pores. Unlike water, these mucilage and EPS structures connecting soil particles did not break up upon drying, which is explained by the high viscosity and low surface tension of EPS and mucilage. Measurements of water retention and evaporation with soils mixed with seed mucilage show how these one‐ and two‐dimensional pore‐scale structures affect macroscopic hydraulic properties (i.e., they enhance water retention, preserve the continuity of t...