Sticky roots - how viral infection changes the ability of plant roots to destabilise mineral-organic associations in soils

Mineral-organic associations (MOAs) store > 90% of soil carbon (C), protecting C from microbial decomposition for millennia. However, although plant exudates can disrupt MOAs and expose C protected therein to microbial decomposition, the extent of this disruption is unknown. Our goal is to assess how root exudation disrupts MOAs within the rhizosphere. We are propose to use ID21 to characterize the transformations of MOA within distinct rhizosphere microenvironments: the root tip, as well as elongation and differentiation zones. We plan to use XRF imaging in conjunction with Fe XANES/EXAFS to assess the disruption of synthetic MOAs by quantifying changes in Fe phase contribution and abundance within distinct rhizosphere microenvironments. To manipulate the composition of root exudates, we will be using a unique biological tool – controlled infection with plant virus. We will the extent of MOA disruption within microsites along infected and uninfected plant roots.