Nimrod Schwartz
The Soil, Water, Plant
and Hydrogeophysics Lab
Department of Soil and Water Sciences
Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environment
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Research
1. Interactions between roots and soil and the impact on root water uptake.
For many years, it is known that roots modified their physical, chemical and biological soil environment. Only recently the impact of processes occurring in the rhizosphere on root water uptake is receiving more attention. In this study, we develop a numerical code that integrates a model for the specific processes occurring in the rhizosphere with a description of water dynamics in soil and root system.
2. Monitoring rhizosphere processes with geoelectrical methods.
The vast number of processes in the rhizosphere, its heterogeneous nature and the simple fact that roots and rhizosphere are hidden in the soil pose a great experimental challenge. As geoelectrical methods are sensitive to various soil processes, they are non-destructive, and they can be employed in a variety of spatial and temporal resolution, they can serve as a great tool to study rhizosphere processes. In this work, we try to identify key rhizosphere properties/processes affecting the electrical signature of soil. Our ultimate goal here is to develop a mechanistic understanding and a quantitative relationship between the electrical properties of soil and the presence and activity of roots.
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