Root Responses to Soil Compaction

Root Responses to Soil Compaction

Soil compaction is one of the major constraints to crop productivity worldwide. Our research investigates how plant roots perceive mechanical impedance and activate adaptive responses that enable continued growth in compacted soils.

Key Questions

• How do roots sense soil compaction?
• What role does ethylene signalling play?
• Can crops be engineered to better tolerate compacted soils?

Related Publications

• Pandey et al. (2021) Science
• Huang et al. (2022) PNAS
• Zhang et al. (2026) Nature
• Zhu et al. (2025) Nature
• Ogorek et al. (2025) TIPS
• Pandey et al. (2024) JexBot