Root Shoot Database

The root shoot database is a collection of literature data gathered over the space of a year covering studies up until the end of 2022. The primary driver for the development of the root shoot database was to provide root and shoot estimates for key European crops. The specific criteria for a study to be included in the data base are the following:

Overall criteria for a study to qualify:

1)      Contain root and shoot estimates and/or RS ratios

2)      Originate from annual and perennial crops grown in Europe (according to list of countries defined by EJP Soil)

3)      Include a minimum of necessary meta-data

4)      Originates from field studies (i.e. pot studies were excluded because of artificial effects on roots)

During the initial literature survey, a range of existing databases were assessed to identify suitable articles for inclusion in this analysis. This included existing data collections, data from partners and literature review:

•       Data from Martin Bolinder’s (SLU) collection

•       Data from several project partners (From France, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland)

•       GrooT and TRY database screening

In addition to gathering data from published articles, where appropriate, contact was made with corresponding authors to resolve uncertainties and fill gaps in the associated meta data. This resulted in a library of assessments for each country and entries in the RS database. In total we identified 23 studies resulting in 451 individual measurements across 11 countries in Europe (including the UK).