{"653325":{"#nid":"653325","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Getting to the Root of Plant-Soil Interactions: Optical Instrument to Give Clearest 3D Images Yet of Rhizosphere ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $2 million federal grant to create tools that will provide the clearest three-dimensional images yet of the chemical and biomolecular interactions between plants and the soil in which they grow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt just a few inches underground, the rhizosphere \u0026mdash; the thin strip of earth that includes the soil-root interface \u0026mdash; has so far been difficult to visualize on site. If scientists can build instruments that capture in real-time clearer images of the physical associations of microbes attached to roots, along with the oxygen-carbon-nitrogen chemical exchanges they mediate, it could help mitigate the effects of climate change and lead to the development of more sustainable fuels and fertilizers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;From a microbiological perspective, we have catalogued what microbes are in the root zone and how abundant they are,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joel-kostka\u0022\u003EJoel Kostka\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;But there\u0026#39;s been very little work to understand their dynamics under real soil conditions.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKostka, who also serves as associate chair for Research in Biological Sciences, joins \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/cicerone\/marcus\u0022\u003EMarcus Cicerone\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and principal investigator for the new grant from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/science\/ber\/biological-and-environmental-research\u0022\u003EU.S. Department of Energy\u0026rsquo;s Office of Biological and Environmental Research\u003C\/a\u003E. The research team also includes \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Francisco-E-Robles\u0022\u003EFrancisco Robles\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/lily-cheung\u0022\u003ELily Cheung\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.coe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETogether, the researchers plan to produce a new optical instrument that will provide 3D images of dynamic metabolic processes with chemical specificity \u0026mdash; meaning it will be able to identify carbon sources (sugars, organic acids) exuded by plant roots and nitrogen-rich compounds provided to the root by nitrogen-fixing (diazotrophic) microbes. The instrument will be built with commercially available components, and with an eye towards simplicity so that it can be easily leveraged by Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Research Centers and field sites.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA \u0026lsquo;hotspot for microbes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026rsquo;\u003Cstrong\u003E in 3D\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding more about the metabolic processes happening in the rhizosphere will help the DOE develop a wider range of sustainable products like new types of biofertilizers and biofuels. The research will also help create practices for better crop management \u0026mdash; and will help researchers use plants and soil as more effective carbon traps that sequester greenhouse gases from the atmosphere into the soil.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The problem is that we don\u0026rsquo;t know much about the free-living bacteria in the soil, because we can\u0026rsquo;t get in there and look,\u0026rdquo; Cicerone said. \u0026ldquo;The DOE wanted somebody to build an instrument that would allow them to image or gather information about the metabolic processes, the interaction \u0026mdash; the metabolic interactions between the microbes and the plants, in real time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKostka adds that the rhizosphere is \u0026ldquo;a hotspot for microbes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s often where the plant is communicating with the outside world,\u0026rdquo; he explained. \u0026ldquo;Our goal is to develop an instrument that they (the DOE) can use to better understand those interactions between plants and microbes and how those can be tweaked, say, to optimize plant production, crop production, biofuels and biomass production. And that\u0026#39;s the long-term goal for us.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow light gets scattered, smothered, and covered in soil\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECicerone says the visibility issue with soil involves how photons \u0026mdash; or particles of light \u0026mdash; scatter once they hit the soil. He likens it to someone putting a red light up to the back of their thumb.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You turn your thumb around, your thumb glows red, right? So, the light comes through, but most of it scatters. The unscattered light contains the spatial information, but it is so weak that you can\u0026rsquo;t detect it by eye, and you lose the spatial information. The same thing happens with the soils. You get a lot of light scattering, and you lose spatial information,\u0026rdquo; Cicerone said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECicerone and Robles will build instrumentation that will focus light into the soil and that is \u0026ldquo;exquisitely sensitive to the minuscule amount of light that only scatters when it reaches its target.\u0026rdquo; Evaluating that light will help scientists learn even more about the chemical processes in the rhizosphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe visibility enhancements will be implemented in optical techniques with names like \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/robleslab.gatech.edu\/coherent-raman-scattering\/\u0022\u003Ecoherent Raman scattering\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.1957169\u0022\u003Eoptical coherence tomography\u003C\/a\u003E, which are commonly used for non-invasive imaging of thin biological material, like the retina of the eye \u0026mdash; or the tiniest of plant roots.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We learn two things from the light coming out of the sample. The amount of light coming out tells you about the refractive index of the material, and the light\u0026rsquo;s frequency change tells you about the chemical composition of the material,\u0026rdquo; Cicerone explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s through imaging and then optimizing those microbe-plant interactions that the DOE aims to design more sustainable products and practices, based on the chemistry to be learned from the team\u0026rsquo;s new optical instruments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a three-year funded project, and we hope at the end of the three years to have an experimental system, where we can do something that nobody else can do,\u0026rdquo; Cicerone added. \u0026ldquo;And that is that we can follow the biochemistry under the soil, \u003Cem\u003Ein situ\u003C\/em\u003E, in real time, to clearly see what\u0026#39;s going on there and find out what the microbes really are doing in natural conditions. At that point, we can start manipulating the biology, start doing the experiments that the DOE is primarily interested in.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAward Number:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;DE-SC0022121\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Deep Chemical Imaging of the Rhizosphere\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EInstitution:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigator:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Cicerone, Marcus\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers receive $2 million DOE grant to build optical instrument focused on understanding and imaging the rhizosphere "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech scientists and engineers are building a new DOE-funded instrument that captures 3D images of plant-microbe chemical reactions underground in an interdisciplinary effort to develop biofuels and fertilizers \u0026mdash; and help mitigate climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech scientists and engineers are building a new DOE-funded instrument that captures 3D images of plant-microbe chemical reactions underground in an interdisciplinary effort to develop biofuels and fertilizers \u2014 and help mitigate climate change."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-12-02 17:21:44","changed_gmt":"2022-08-24 14:39:26","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"653303":{"id":"653303","type":"image","title":"At just a few inches under our feet, the rhizosphere is described as a \u0022hotspot for microbes.\u0022 (Photo by Chad Ralston)","body":null,"created":"1638386785","gmt_created":"2021-12-01 19:26:25","changed":"1638386785","gmt_changed":"2021-12-01 19:26:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247796","name":"islay-peat-bog-roots.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/islay-peat-bog-roots.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/islay-peat-bog-roots.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":563963,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/islay-peat-bog-roots.jpg?itok=n_tdd6D0"}},"653302":{"id":"653302","type":"image","title":"A section of the soil-root interface that makes up the rhizosphere. (Photo by Joel Kostka)","body":null,"created":"1638384330","gmt_created":"2021-12-01 18:45:30","changed":"1638384330","gmt_changed":"2021-12-01 18:45:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247795","name":"IMG_1394.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_1394.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_1394.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1118879,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/IMG_1394.JPG?itok=CMDrLatC"}},"653301":{"id":"653301","type":"image","title":"The rhizosphere is the thin strip of earth that includes the soil-root interface. (Photo by Joel Kostka)","body":null,"created":"1638384183","gmt_created":"2021-12-01 18:43:03","changed":"1638384183","gmt_changed":"2021-12-01 18:43:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247794","name":"IMG_1387.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_1387.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_1387.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1243347,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/IMG_1387.JPG?itok=oXmr3MwZ"}},"653326":{"id":"653326","type":"image","title":"Marcus Cicerone","body":null,"created":"1638466007","gmt_created":"2021-12-02 17:26:47","changed":"1638466007","gmt_changed":"2021-12-02 17:26:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247801","name":"Marcus Cicerone.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Marcus%20Cicerone.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Marcus%20Cicerone.png","mime":"image\/png","size":497043,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Marcus%20Cicerone.png?itok=HkqUo4Pi"}},"653327":{"id":"653327","type":"image","title":"Joel Kostka","body":null,"created":"1638466111","gmt_created":"2021-12-02 17:28:31","changed":"1638466111","gmt_changed":"2021-12-02 17:28:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247802","name":"Joel Kostka.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Joel%20Kostka.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Joel%20Kostka.png","mime":"image\/png","size":387460,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Joel%20Kostka.png?itok=3_aXGUOs"}},"643048":{"id":"643048","type":"image","title":"Francisco Robles","body":null,"created":"1611008910","gmt_created":"2021-01-18 22:28:30","changed":"1611008910","gmt_changed":"2021-01-18 22:28:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244176","name":"FRobles.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/FRobles.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/FRobles.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":714777,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/FRobles.jpg?itok=sm4ivCK2"}},"653355":{"id":"653355","type":"image","title":"Lily Cheung","body":null,"created":"1638479185","gmt_created":"2021-12-02 21:06:25","changed":"1638479185","gmt_changed":"2021-12-02 21:06:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247809","name":"cheung2018.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cheung2018.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cheung2018.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":87976,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cheung2018.jpg?itok=kHSwWvdu"}}},"media_ids":["653303","653302","653301","653326","653327","643048","653355"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/college-sciences-welcomes-seven-faculty-members","title":"College of Sciences Welcomes Seven Faculty Members"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/college-sciences-postdocs-shine-research-symposium","title":"College of Sciences Postdocs Shine in Research Symposium"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/joel-kostka-details-microbial-legacy-deepwater-horizon-disaster","title":"Joel Kostka Details the Microbial Legacy of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/microbial-research-may-be-key-salt-marsh-restoration","title":"Microbial Research may be the Key to Salt Marsh Restoration"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/nsf-supports-research-microbes-peat-moss","title":"NSF Supports Research on the Microbes in Peat Moss"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/science-matters\/sciencematters-season-3-episode-8-digging-climate-clues-peat-moss","title":"ScienceMatters - Season 3, Episode 8 - Digging Up Climate Clues in Peat Moss"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/hammer-and-kostka-named-distinguished-lecturers","title":"Hammer and Kostka Named Distinguished Lecturers"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/cmdi-mighty-microbial-dynamics-healthier-people-and-planet","title":"CMDI: Mighty Microbial Dynamics for a Healthier People and Planet"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"EAS"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"620089","name":"Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (CMDI)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"189460","name":"Marcus Cicerone"},{"id":"20131","name":"Joel Kostka"},{"id":"189456","name":"rhizosphere"},{"id":"188073","name":"optical imaging"},{"id":"189461","name":"soil-plant interaction"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Renay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEditors: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jess@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:georgia.parmelee@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorgia Parmelee\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}