Precision Farming of the Hidden Half: Integrating Roots into Agriculture using Remote Sensing

碳（C）源和汇强度的不平衡是农作物生长的主要限制，而缺乏根汇强度的监测工具（例如，生物量和活性）是一个严重的知识差距，阻碍了产量最大化的努力。虽然精准农业旨在优化植物需求的投入，但用于估计植物需求的一套生物变量是基于植物的一半，尽管事实上“隐藏的一半”（即，根）在养分吸收中发挥更强的作用，并且存在几种机制，通过这些机制根库强度调节光合作用并限制生长。通过以来源为重点的地上生物量和光合作用指标来划定表现不佳的地区，将使目前的情况长期存在，即养分吸收和化肥施用仍然不同步，管理目标没有实现，特别是在磷负荷增加的五大湖地区。尽管根系性状的映射代理的发展，有失踪的联系，根生物量和渗出，由于缺乏串联的地上和地下观测在高时空频率。在填补这些知识空白之前，农业实践和根系反应的影响无法解决。这项研究计划将提高我们的理解，通过高频串联地上和地下监测计划部署自动微型电子和无人驾驶飞行器（UAV）的关系，农业实践和领域内的异质性的根库强度的环境调制。在整个生长季节，根汇强度动态，生物量，渗出，光合作用和土壤微生物群落呼吸将被跟踪，为遥感工具的开发提供信息，以确定基于根吸收能力的根包容性管理区。模型仍然是评估管理策略有效性的最佳工具，但它们依赖于可用的数据集，并且仅与我们对流程的理解一样准确。受控环境根管实验允许精确操纵环境调节剂的根-土壤-微生物相互作用的研究纳入协方差与监管机构。提高对根-土壤-微生物相互作用的认识有利于政策制定者和种植者，解决生长限制的原因，改善营养吸收策略，突出作物产量提高的子领域，并在未来变化中实现长期粮食安全。生成的独特监测数据集将有利于政府（AAFC和ECCC），当地土地所有者和行业（种子种植者和生物技术）。这些团体和其他利益攸关方将参与为包括根系的精准农业开发遥感服务，预计未来将开发成一种商业产品，支持关于投入施用率的决策。

Carbon (C) source and sink strength imbalances are a major limit on agricultural crop growth, and the lack of monitoring tools for root sink strength (e.g., biomass and activity) are a critical knowledge gap that hinders efforts to maximize yields. While precision farming aims to optimize inputs to plant needs, the suite of biotic variables used to estimate plant demands are based on half of the plant, despite that fact that the "hidden half" (i.e., roots) play a stronger role in nutrient uptake and there are several mechanisms through which root sink strength regulates photosynthesis and limits growth. Delineating underperforming areas through source-focused metrics of aboveground biomass and photosynthesis will perpetuate the current situation where nutrient uptake and fertilizer application remain unsynchronized and stewardship targets are not met, particularly in the Great Lakes region where phosphorus loading has increased. Despite the development of mappable proxies for root system traits, there are missing linkages to root biomass and exudation due to the lack of tandem above and belowground observations at high spatial-temporal frequency. Until these knowledge gaps are filled, the effects of agricultural practices and root system responses cannot be resolved. This research program will improve our understanding of environmental modulation of root sink strength through a high frequency tandem above and belowground monitoring program deploying automatic minirhizotrons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in relation to farming practices and within field heterogeneity. Over the course of the growing season, root sink strength dynamics, biomass, exudation, photosynthesis, and soil microbial community respiration will be tracked to inform the development of remote sensing tools to define root inclusive management zones based on root uptake capacities. Models remain the best available tools to assess the efficacy of management strategies, however they are dependent on the available data sets and only as accurate as our process understanding. Controlled environment rhizotron experiments allow precise manipulation of environmental modulators for the study of root-soil-microbial interactions incorporating covariance with regulators. Improved understanding of root-soil-microbial interactions benefit policy makers and growers, by resolving the cause of growth limitations, improving nutrient uptake strategies, highlighting sub-field areas for crop yield improvements, and enabling long-term food security in the face of future change. The unique monitoring data sets generated will be beneficial to government (AAFC and ECCC), local landowners, and industry (seed growers and Biotech). These groups and other  stakeholders will be engaged in the development of remote sensing services for root inclusive precision farming which are envisioned in the future to be developed into a commercial product that supports decision making on input application rates.