Excessive levels of carbon in the atmosphere pose a significant threat to our survival and the well-being of animals and plants. This is evidenced by the increasing occurrence of extreme heat waves, storms, prolonged periods of drought, and devastating floods. To combat this issue, we require a solution that can effectively reduce carbon in the atmosphere. And what better solution than plants? Not only do they provide a visually appealing and serene environment, but they also have the natural ability to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Scientists at the Salk Institute are leveraging this unique quality of plants to purify the air by enhancing their root systems to store more carbon. Their innovative tool, SLEAP (Sophisticated Leap in AI Plant research), is an artificial intelligence software that meticulously tracks various features of root growth.
The Salk Institute’s program, known as the Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI), is dedicated to developing strategies to harness plants for carbon storage. While plants already store carbon in their biomass, this storage is typically temporary, as the carbon is released back into the atmosphere when plants die or crops are harvested. The goal of the HPI is to enhance plants’ capacity to store carbon for longer periods of time.
To achieve this, HPI scientists are utilizing SLEAP to design these revolutionary plants. Originally designed to track animal movements in the laboratory, SLEAP has now been adapted to examine root structures. In a recent study, researchers unveiled the new protocol of SLEAP, which streamlines the analysis of root characteristics such as depth of growth, width, size over time, and other physical traits. Before the advent of SLEAP, measuring these traits was a laborious and time-consuming process.
Thanks to SLEAP, scientists have already compiled an extensive catalog of plant root systems. This valuable resource aids in identifying genes associated with desired characteristics. Additionally, it helps determine if multiple traits of a plant are governed by the same genes. Armed with this information, Salk researchers can pinpoint the genes that are instrumental in designing their new plants. Elizabeth Berrigan, a scientist involved in the development of SLEAP, affirms its significance, stating, “SLEAP is a leap forward in plant research.”
The Salk researchers conducted tests using SLEAP on various plant species, including rice, canola, soybean, and the flowering weed Arabidopsis thaliana. The results demonstrated that SLEAP is 10 times faster in training AI models compared to previous methods. It also exhibited a 10-fold increase in predicting plant structure using new data.
Moving forward, researchers are now focusing on the challenge of examining 3D root structures using SLEAP. Continued research with SLEAP is expected to accelerate the scientific process at the Salk Institute, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in the field.
For more information on the research study, please refer to the provided link.
