Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have visualized the complex network of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi in soil in three dimensions for the first time. The researchers see this method as a promising tool for studying climate-resilient plants.
In brief
- New method creates 3D models of underground plant-fungal networks
- Technique makes the finest structures-roots, fungal hyphae, and spores-visible in their natural environment
- Offers new opportunities to understand this complex relationship
Symbioses between plants and fungi are essential for most plants. Fungal structures known as mycorrhizae extend the area from which plants can draw water and nutrients from the soil. In return, plants supply the fungi with carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis. Although the importance of this symbiosis has been known for decades, researchers have not previously been able to study the underground network in its natural structure.
Directly in the soil and left intact
The newly developed method is based on synchrotron computed tomography. This technique makes it possible to visualize the finest structures, which are often not visible using conventional CT methods. The plants grow in a "basket" that allows them to be removed from the soil together with the surrounding material without damaging the root system. A three-dimensional model is then reconstructed from many high-resolution projection images of the sample, revealing plant roots, fungal hyphae, and fungal spores in their natural environment. "With our newly developed method, we have opened a 'black box' of plant research," says Mutez Ahmed, Professor of Root-Soil Interaction at TUM.
Agriculture and nutrition
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Braunmiller, H.M., Bitterlich, M., Koebernick, N., Jacob, E., Heck, A.S., Schnepf, A., Pausch, J., Suuronen, J.-P., Hesse, B., Delzon, S., Perrin, J., King, A., Jansa, J. and Ahmed, M.A. (2026), Opening the black box: in situ imaging of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal structures in soil using synchrotron-based micro-CT. New Phytol. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71379
The Professorship of Root-Soil Interaction is part of the Hans Eisenmann Forum for Agricultural Sciences and the TUM School of Life Sciences .
