Horizonal Root monitoring in ecotrons facilities (Rhizotron)

Since May 2025, the Ecotron facility of Hasselt University has integrated the Horizontal Root Monitoring service into its infrastructure. This service provides long-term, non-destructive monitoring of root growth and development in controlled ecosystem conditions.

The system is based on horizontally installed rhizotron tubes combined with a 360° root scanner (CID-602 Narrow gauge root imager) capable of scanning at up to 1200 dpi. The setup allows users to continuously monitor and quantify temporal changes in belowground plant dynamics with high spatial and temporal resolution. Root growth patterns can be linked directly to environmental variables manipulated within the ecotron units.

The service serves as both a monitoring platform and a high-resolution data acquisition system, supporting studies of plant–soil interactions, root system dynamics, and ecosystem responses to environmental change.

Link to the Ecotron website

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