Advanced imaging and AI technology are helping researchers tackle one of agriculture's biggest barriers to crop production: soil compaction.
A University of Queensland-led project is generating new insights into how crop roots grow and function under compacted soil.
Dr Vilim Filipović at UQ's School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability said soil compaction and degraded soil structure remains one of the key physical limitations to crop performance in agricultural systems.
“Compacted soil can severely restrict root growth, water uptake, and access to nutrients, and we can now use AI and high-performance computing to capture some of these processes in much greater detail,” Dr Filipović said.
The project combines UQ's soil physics expertise with world-leading root-soil interaction research from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany and is supported by the UQ-TUM Partnership Research Collaboration Grant.
Using advanced root phenotyping and CT imaging facilities at TUM's Freising campus, researchers are now discovering how roots behave and respond in compacted agricultural soils, something that has since been under researched.
One year into the project and the collaboration has delivered high-quality experimental and imaging data that is helping researchers better understand how belowground processes are detected, measured, and interpreted.
“This collaboration allowed us to directly connect soil physical processes with root architecture and function, using methods and facilities that gave us a much clearer picture of what is happening belowground,” Dr Vilim Filipović said.
By linking root behaviour more closely to soil physical conditions, the project is building a stronger foundation for future research on crop resilience and sustainable production.
These findings are creating new opportunities for scientific discovery and for more practical strategies to manage soil structural constraints in agriculture.
The initiative has also opened doors for ongoing researcher exchanges and the integration of advanced imaging methods into future studies, demonstrating how targeted seed funding can catalyse sustained international collaboration.
For Dr Filipović, the long-term goal extends beyond the lab.
"Better understanding how roots respond to compacted soils will help us design more resilient cropping systems and improve how we manage soil physical limitations," he said.
