Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A new DNA method lets scientists measure plant roots underground, opening doors for climate research and smarter farming.

Fallen tree leaves on the forest floor are called leaf litter. Although scientists can examine leaf litter on the surface of soil by collecting it using litter traps, studying what is happening ...

Damage to the roots from root-rot organisms, construction, filling or transplanting interferes with the uptake of water. That is often life threatening and can have an immediate and profound effect on ...

To people, salt is a kitchen staple. But to crops, too much of it can be devastating. Across coastal regions and irrigated agricultural land, salt is accumulating in soils, making it harder for plants ...

You walk through a field of wheat, ryegrass, or clover and notice the sway of stems and leaves. What you cannot see is where most of the action happens. Beneath the soil surface, roots spread, compete ...

A plant’s root system has a profound effect on its overall health. Look at the roots of a sick, struggling plant, and you will often see a sick, struggling root system. While plants may tolerate ...