What We Do
Research in the Root Agroecology lab uses field-based and refined root evaluation techniques, including genomics and ecophysiology, in four research focal areas:
- Enhancing soil health through perennial herbaceous crops and cover crops
- Rootstocks for orchard and vineyard resilience
- Optimizing plant pairings for diverse agroecosystems
- Improved omics methods for field-based root research
Read more about each focal area below!
Enhancing soil health through perennial herbaceous crops and cover crops
It is widely recognized that perennial herbaceous species may have the potential to provide the greatest benefits to soil health. It remains unclear what root attributes are most likely to confer these benefits. Our work in this area strives to connect specific root traits to soil quality parameters across a variety of perennial herbaceous crops and cover crops.
Current Research:
- Mechanisms of Deep Soil Health in Forage Cropping Systems (led by PhD student Maya Gabor; in Collaboration with Drs. Hayden Bock & Guojie Wang)
- Effects Of Mowing On Root Traits And Belowground Ecosystem Processes (led by collaborator & former postdoc Dr. Hayden Bock)
Previous Work:
- Fleishman, S.M.; Bock, H.W.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Centinari, M. 2021. Undervine groundcover substantially increases shallow but not deep soil carbon in a temperate vineyard. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment.
- Fleishman, S.M.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Hoffer, G.M.; Centinari, M. 2023. Cover crops and a devigorating rootstock can impart substantial agroecosystem services to high-resource vineyards: A multi-year study. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment.
Rootstocks for Orchard and Vineyard Resilience
Our lab investigates rootstock genotypes using a whole-plant approach to understand how underlying rootstock genetics influence root responses to soil resources and whole plant physiology. This research aims to inform the selection and breeding of rootstocks that can enhance crop responses to variability in soil nutrient and water availability.
Current research
- Variation in root foraging strategies between 8 apple rootstocks (led by MS Student Joanne Kim)
Previous Work:
- Fleishman, S.M.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Centinari, M. 2019. Rootstock vigor shifts aboveground response to groundcover competition in young grapevines. Plant and soil.
Optimizing plant pairings for diverse agroecosystems
Agroecosystem sustainability can be maximized through biodiverse plantings that combine woody and herbaceous crops. This research area focuses on understanding the conditions that allow for species to successfully coexist rather than deleteriously compete. Ultimately this work aims to recommend plant selection or breeding targets for plants that can be successfully paired to enhance long-term agroecosystem sustainability.
Current Research:
- Optimizing Cover Crops for Tree Fruit Production and Orchard Sustainability (collaboration with Dr. Shanthanu Krishna Kumar; Led by MS Student Abby Oswald)
- Long term evaluation of a Red Fescue Cover Crop in a Pennsylvania Vineyard (collaboration with Dr. Michela Centinari as lead PI)
Previous Work:
- Fleishman, S.M.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Hoffer, G.M.; Centinari, M. 2023. Cover crops and a devigorating rootstock can impart substantial agroecosystem services to high-resource vineyards: A multi-year study. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment.
Improved Omics Methodologies for Field-Based Root Research
Mature perennial root systems are expansive, physiologically complex, and challenging to examine in situ. Our lab investigates and develops refined techniques based on root physiology for microbiome, transcriptome, and metabolic analyses.
Current Research:
- Field Approaches for Deep Root Multi-Omics (collaboration with Drs. Michela Centinari, Terrence Bell (U. Toronto), and Dario Cantu and Melanie Massonnet (UC Davis))
Previous Work:
- Fleishman, S.M.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Bell, T.H.; Centinari, M. 2022. Functionally-explicit sampling can answer key questions about the specificity of plant–microbe interactions. Environmental Microbiome. (October 11, 2022).17(1): 1–8.
- Fleishman, S.M.; Centinari, M.; Bell, T.H.; Eissenstat, D.M. 2023. Assessing microbial communities across the fine root landscape. Journal of experimental botany.
- Persico, M.J.; Fleishman, S.M.; Eissenstat, D.M.; Bell, T.H.; Centinari, M. 2023. The age of absorptive roots impacts root-adjacent microbial composition in grapevines. Phytobiomes Journal.