Despite the clear importance of roots in agricultural systems, the practical difficulty of working below-ground has limited rational improvement through agronomic practice or plant breeding. Over the past decades, however, Penn State has established leadership in root biology by delivering conceptual and technological advances that have opened up real possibilities to optimize the roots and rhizosphere of our crops. Specifically, Penn State root research has resulted in tens of millions of dollars of extramural funding, two interdisciplinary research training projects, two successful startup companies, novel research tools and concepts, and most importantly, tangible benefits for global food security and agricultural sustainability. Indeed, root biology and plant/soil interactions have been identified as core strengths of the Department of Plant Science. Three new faculty in Plant Science are experts in root symbioses with beneficial microbes. Root interactions with the soil are largely mediated by the rhizosphere, the soil near the root that is heavily influenced by root processes, inhabited by rich and complex microbial communities that have important effects on the capture of water and nutrients, soil quality, and plant health. This research domain, therefore, has synergies with existing Penn State initiatives, including the One Health Microbiome Center and the Food, Energy, and Water nexus.
The Center will position Penn State for continued excellence in this critical interdisciplinary field and foster new collaborations that open unique research avenues. Significantly, the Center model will integrate initiatives that have run previously at the individual group level, establishing the cross-disciplinary base that will be required to shift from the exploration of rhizosphere biology towards real-world impact. We envisage direct recruitment of additional expertise, alongside a role for center to engage with other public or private partners.
What We Do
Monthly Networking Meetings
Root scientists, including undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, visiting scholars, and professors, come together for our Monthly CRRB Networking meetings, in which we have a chance to share our developing ideas and discuss the scientific accomplishments happening across campus in various labs. These meetings aim to encourage open collaboration and inspiration between scientists around the common interest of roots/rhizospheres. Members have the opportunity to give full-length presentations about current work, 5-minute lighting talks, discuss opportunities for collaborations, or request help from other members.
Hosting Root/Rhizosphere Speakers
The CRRB sponsors scientists from across the US and around the globe to deliver talks on their research within the wide and varied field of root and rhizosphere biology. These talks are featured in collaborating seminar series across Penn State campus, including Ecology, Plant Science, Plant Biology, and One Health Microbiome Center. These seminars provide not only the chance to learn about cutting-edge root-related research happening around the world, but also allow for the valuable opportunity to network with these inspiring scientists in one-on-one and group meetings during the course of their stay.
Annual Mini-Symposia
Beginning in 2023, the CRRB has hosted an annual mini-symposium in May to culminate the year's hard work and celebrate root-related discoveries. Members have the opportunity to give 20-minute formal talks or to present their work as a poster. Crucially, these mini-symposiums serve to elicit discussions on what the organization should aim to accomplish for the next year and encourage suggestions on how to get there. This annual event is an opportunity to think big about what we, as root scientists of Penn State, are capable of envisioning and achieving. Previous years have featured breakout group discussions on the "next big questions of root biology", a workshop discussing the potential applications of AI in root phenotyping, and many incredible speakers from all career stages and angles of root/rhizosphere biology.