Corentin Clement of France is a Ph.D.-student at Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Corentin is studying water use in cropping systems with deep-rooted species, i.e. lucerne, kernza and chicory. He is conducting field-based experimentations in the field plots at Højbakkegård using, among other methods: 

• Minirhizotron tubes
• TDR (time-domain reflectometer) sensors
• In-growth cores, and
• Water tracers.

The overall goal of his research is to better understand the hydrological strategies of deep rooted crop species, as well as to improve our understanding of the capacity of deep roots to extract water. Overall, the results of his study will have implications for:

• Field water management
• Nutrient leaching alleviation
• Drought impact reduction.

Corentin started his studies at University of Copenhagen on June 1^st 2017 and is expected to finish June 30^th 2020.

In this video, Corentin is showing his research project; he looks into how deep roots of crops uptake water. For this, he developed a trial in the fields, studying lucerne, chicory and lupin - known as deep-rooted crops - having roots until 3 meters and even deeper.