Bachelor Thesis

The impact of root exudates on the soil hydraulic properties of soil and root water uptake

Lara Kersting (07/2023-07/2024)

Support: Asegidew Akale, Mutez Ali Ahmed, Efstathios Diamantopoulos

Securing food availability foran  increasing global population is a major challenge.Water shortage and degradation are already limiting crop yields, and this problem will further intensify due to the expansion of agricultural areas into less fertile locations and the impact of climate change itself. The rhizosphere, the interface between roots and soil, represents a unique environment enriched with a diversity of substances like mucilage exudated from plant roots. Mucilage is a gel-like substance released from the tips of the roots and provides several benefits.

• We hypothesized that root exudates alter the pore space of the soil, thereby improving the soil hydraulic properties, increase available water in the rhizosphere and/or prolonging the contact of the roots with the soil matrix.

To assess the potential of mulicalge on reducing water stress, two different soils (loam and sand) are being tested for their drying properties with varying concentrations of mucilage. For this purpose, the study makes use of HYPROP and WP4C instruments. Maize mucilage is introduced into the soil at various concentrations.