Rapeseed
Watching
roots grow
Janina Kalinowski checks the root sensors that are located in the soil to document the root growth of the rapeseed plants. A camera on a tripod records the growth of the plant parts above ground.
Research group develops a fully automated imaging method for rapeseed roots.
A change of perspective – how roots really grow: That’s the slogan under which the research group led by Benjamin Gruber has tackled the issue of recording plant roots. Imaging sensors now make it possible to change our point of view and look beneath the surface.
INITIO – The brand for KWS treatment agent solutions
More and more chemical pesticides are losing their approvals in Europe. A growing number of new alternatives in the form of biologicals, nutrients or microorganisms are coming onto the market. And there is large demand for replacements and effective forms of seed treatment among farmers. Ideally, a seed treatment consists of various components that interact. Since 2018, KWS has increasingly developed its own combinations and has marketed them successfully under the brand name INITIO since 2020.
INITIO – “at the start.” The product’s name says it all and points to the positive effect this innovative technology has on young plants. The new INITIO brand was developed by the Business Units in close cooperation with the Expert Hub Brand Management and is provided with technical support by the team from Seed Technology (SB-ST).
Marketing as an all-round package
The brand strategy adopts an overarching approach to communication, one highlighting the general advantages of the new seed treatment: INITIO can be marketed as an all-round package in which various active substances can be combined or replaced flexibly, depending on the crop or general agricultural conditions. The overarching brand remains a firmly entrenched element, in particular during market launch. The result of the strategy is a sustained perception of the new brand and strengthening of the whole corporate brand, since INITIO is a solution for all KWS crops.
Multiple variants are available
The basic variant INITIO protects juvenile development of corn, improving root development and nutrient uptake. We also market the INITIO BIRD PROTECT and INITIO INSECT PLUS products. The first protects the treated seed against being eaten by birds and the second protects against insects. They thus offer genuine value added, which is reflected in their commercial success. Around thirty percent of KWS corn seed planted in Germany in 2020 was sown with INITIO, while a figure of more than sixty percent is planned for 2021 in the Southeastern Europe region, where around eighty percent of the farmers questioned in a market survey also rated INITIO “good” or “very good.”
INITIO for various crops
INITIO solutions tailored to rapeseed and hybrid rye have also been tested. They will go on sale in selected markets for the first time in the coming sowing season.
Further innovations under the INITIO brand are also being developed for the future. A more eco-friendly bird protection component is being tested commercially, and biofungicides and bioinsecticides are also being tried out as part of trial cultivation. |
Back to the roots
Our colleagues have found in field trials that using INITIO for rapeseed has a positive impact on nutrient and water uptake. The method promotes root and fine root formation, meaning that plants grow to be stronger and are better anchored in the ground. Powerful juvenile development strengthens the rapeseed plant and increases its drought tolerance.
Treating seed with INITIO therefore shows a positive effect as early as the germination stage. Nevertheless, the roots of young plants in particular are very thin and sensitive. Since roots can easily be damaged when their weight and length are measured, an alternative solution for documenting those parameters was needed.
Meaningful data and high-quality images are necessary to create analyses and time-lapse videos so as to enable successful and efficient marketing. The project’s goal was to illustrate root development in the juvenile phase with the use of different treatments in order to compare these and demonstrate to farmers how successful INITIO is.
▶ Root growth in time lapse
“We’ve been experimenting with imaging methods to show root growth for some time now,” says Benjamin Gruber. “Up to now, we’ve developed and tried out methods that allow us to capture images of roots manually as and when required.”
Based on that method, the rapeseed team at Einbeck has found a way of triggering sensors below ground regularly and fully automatically so that the images can be observed from the comfort of the team’s desks.
Solution approaches were discussed with the teams of Benjamin Gruber and Maik Strassmann and implemented right away. The upshot was an IT program that controls already tested sensors fully automatically over a network and records images at predefined time intervals.
A solution for documentation was needed.
The results from the imaging sensors
Christian Jebsen’s team analyzed the images. The outcome: In the first test run in November 2020, the rapeseed plants treated with INITIO displayed far longer and more widely branching roots after 14 days. Multiple repetitions of the experiments confirmed these results.
The fully automated method is suitable for capturing images for all crops. It is easy to scale and adapt to diverse requirements and areas of inquiry. The fine roots are also very clearly visible using a high resolution.
Members of the project: Benjamin Gruber, Lisa Matte and Marvin Finke.
Thank you to everyone involved
This internal project again illustrated KWS’ strength. As a team from different areas of work, we have developed a great opportunity to change the perspective from which we look at crops. Reliability and a shared vision, coupled with short lines of communication, were the foundation for success. |
If you are interested or have further questions on the subject of recording roots with the aid of imaging sensors, please feel free to contact the project members.
Contact:
Maik Strassmann
maik.strassmann@kws.com
Contact:
Tobias Dittmann
tobias.dittmann@kws.com
Contact:
Janina Kalinowski
janina.kalinowski@kws.com
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
