Have you seen this see-through soil?

Scientists develop transparent soil that lets you watch roots as they grow

The process of how plant roots grow has been revealed in a clearer light thanks to the development of transparent soil.

Researchers from the University of Abertay Dundee and the James Hutton Institute have spent the last two years working on a see-through soil substitute made from Nafion - a synthetic material usually seen in power-generating fuel cells - that allows them to actually watch the roots of a plant as they grow. The compound acts just like regular soil and is the biggest development in the study of the rhizosphere, the world of roots, in recent history, with Lionel Dupuy, a theoretical biologist at the James Hutton Institute, saying ‘This is exciting because there are so many things to discover in soil and we don’t know yet what they are’.

See-through soil lets you watch the roots as they grow and develop

(Source - Daily Mail)

The artificial soil shares key characteristics of actual soil, such as water retention, capability of sustaining plant growth and the ability to hold nutrients. The soil isn’t transparent naturally, and only becomes see-through when treated with a special water-based solution. 

Scientists are confident that the soil can help them get a better understanding of how plants and microbes access nutrients that are present in soil, which can then help them develop and breed crops that have more efficient root systems, meaning less of a reliance on fertilizers.