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Tino Colombi

Tino Colombi
I am interested in the interactions between plants and their environment. In particular, my research focuses on relationships between agricultural management, soil structure and related physical properties, and plant growth. Using experimental and modelling approaches, I study processes at the root-soil interface that regulate both plant growth and soil structure dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales. Ultimately, such fundamental knowledge will contribute to the design of novel cropping systems that ensure high and stable crop productivity in the long-term.

Research

Improving crop tolerance to high soil strength: High soil strength typically occurs in both dry and compacted soil and results in slow and metabolically expensive root growth. Novel varieties with improved tolerance to high soil strength are needed to ensure crop productivity under drought and soil compaction. Root traits enhancing the rate and metabolic efficiency of root growth under high soil strength must be integrated into such adapted varieties. To achieve this, functional plant phenomics are combined with biophysical modelling and bioenergetics.

Interactions between plant physiological processes and soil structure dynamics: Soil structure defines a set of soil physical properties that are crucial for plant growth, namely soil strength, water retention and aeration. Moreover, root growth and root water uptake modify soil structure and associated physical properties. Biophysical processes at the root-soil interface that regulate plant growth and soil structure dynamics are investigated using different imaging techniques such as X-ray computed tomography and time-lapse imaging, and theoretical approaches.

Influences of agricultural management on soil structure and ecosystem functions: Agricultural soil management in the form of tillage, organic amendments and the use of different plant species in crop rotations affects the structure of arable soils. In turn this has consequences for ecosystem functions of cropping systems including productivity and carbon sequestration. Field experiments, on-farm studies, and national data bases are used to understand how management can improve soil structure and associated ecosystem functions.

Current projects

The capacity of crops for enhanced carbon allocation to soil in a changing climate - synergies and trade-offs. Funding: Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). Role: Co-I, PI: Thomas Keller.

Adapting wheat to hard soils – from the phenotype to the genotype and back (AHaS). Funding: Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS) and Lantmännen Research Foundation. Role: PI. 

RootMix – Mixed cultivar systems to mitigate drought effects on Nordic crop production. Funding: Novo Nordisk Foundation. Role: Co-I, PI: Thomas Keller.

Soil management for improved soil quality and yield stability under extreme weather. Funding: Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning (SLF). Role: Co-I, PI: Thomas Keller.

Carbon saturation revisited: Effects of aluminium oxides and soil structure on the carbon storage capacity of Swedish agricultural soils. Funding: Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). Role: Co-I, PI: Mats Larsbo.

A science – industry partnership to develop more nutrient efficient spring wheat: Development of a mapping population, field phenotyping and genotyping for marker-assisted breeding. Funding: Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS). Role: Co-I, PI: Martin Weih.

Completed projects (selection)

Improving soil structure in agro-ecosystems: Processes, interactions and feedbacks along the soil-root-shoot continuum governing soil structure formation (ImproSoSt). Funding: Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova). Role: PI. 

Growing fast at minimum costs – Transcriptome profiling in spring wheat roots growing in high strength soil. Funding: Platform for Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Role: PI.

Efficient soil exploration in spring wheat: Using calorimetry to quantify energy costs of root growth. Funding: Lantmännen Research Foundation and Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA). Role: PI.

Cooperation

Crop production ecology, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.

Plant breeding, SLU, Alnarp, Sweden.

Lantmännen Lantbruck, Svalöv, Sweden.

ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

INRAE, France. 

Agroscope Zurich, Switzerland.

University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Universtiy of Nottingham, UK.

Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Stockholm University, Sweden.

Background

University education

2022: Docent (Associate Professor) in Soil Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.

2017: Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences at Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Prof Achim Walter.

2013: MSc. in Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Employment history

2020-present: Researcher in Soil Mechanics and Soil Management Group, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.

2017-2020: Postdoc in Soil Mechanics and Soil Management Group, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.

2017: Postoc in Crop Science Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Soil Fertility and Soil Protection Group, Agroscope, Switzerland. 

2013-2017: PhD student researcher in Crop Science Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. 

Supervision

Postdocs

2022-2023: Dr. Mitsuaki Ota, SLU, primary supervisor.

PhD students 

2021-2025: Hanna Sjulgård, SLU, co-supervisor.

2021-2025: Miyanda Chilipamushi, SLU, co-supervisor.

MSc/BSc students

Since 2014: Regular supervision of MSc and BSc theses.

Selected publications

Colombi T, Eitelberg L, Kolb E, Legué V, Bogeat-Triboulot MB (2023) Genotypic differences in systemic root responses to mechanical obstacles. Physiologia Plantarum: e14094. doi: 10.1111/ppl.14094.

Sjulgård H, Keller T, Garland G, Colombi T (2023). Relationships between weather and yield anomalies vary with crop type and latitude in Sweden. Agricultural Systems 211: 103757. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103757. 

Walder F, Büchi L, Wagg C, Colombi T, Banerjee S, Hirte J, Mayer J, Six J, Keller T, Charles R, van der Heijden MGA (2023). Synergism between production and soil health through crop diversification, organic amendments and crop protection in wheat-based systems. Journal of Applied Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.14484.

Liu H, Colombi T, Jäck O, Westerbergh A, Weih M (2022). Linking wheat nitrogen use to root traits: Shallow and thin embryonic roots enhance uptake but reduce conversion efficiency of nitrogen. Field Crops Research 285: 108603. doi: 10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108603. 

Sjulgård H, Colombi T, Keller T (2022). Spatiotemporal patterns of crop diversity reveal potential for diversification in Swedish agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 336: 108046. doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2022.108046. 

Büchi L, Walder F, Banerjee S, Colombi T, van der Heijden MGA, Keller T, Charles R, Six J (2022). Pedoclimatic factors and management determine soil organic carbon and aggregation in farmer fields at a regional scale. Geoderma 409: 115632. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115632. 

Liu H, Colombi T, Jäck O, Keller T, Weih M (2022). Effects of soil compaction on grain yield of wheat depend on weather conditions. Science of the Total Environment 807: 150763. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150763.

Colombi T, Chakrawal A, Herrmann AM (2022). Carbon supply-consumption balance in plant roots – Effects of carbon use efficiency and root anatomical plasticity. New Phytologist 233: 1542-1547. doi: 10.1111/nph.1759.

Longepierre M, Widmer F, Keller T, Weisskopf P, Colombi T, Büchler U, Six, J, Hartmann M (2021). Limited resilience of the soil microbiome to mechanical compaction within three years of agricultural management. ISME Communications 1: 44. doi: 10.1038/s43705-021-00046-8.

Sjulgård H, Iseskog D, Kirchgessner N, Bengough, AG, Keller T, Colombi T (2021). Reversible and irreversible root phenotypic plasticity under fluctuating soil physical conditions. Environmental and Experimental Botany 188: 104494. doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2021.104494.

Weih M, Liu H, Colombi T, Keller T, Jäck O, Vallenback P, Westerbergh A (2021). Evidence for magnesium-phosphorus synergism and co-limitation of grain yield in wheat agriculture. Scientific Reports 11: 9012. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-88588-8.

Keller T, Colombi T, Ruiz S, Schymanski S, Weisskopf P, Koestel J, Sommer M, Stadelmann V, Breitenstein D, Kirchgessner N, Walter A, Or D (2021). Soil structure recovery following compaction – short‐term evolution of soil physical properties in a loamy soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal 18: 1-19. doi: 10.1002/saj2.20240.

Liu H, Fiorani F, Jäck O, Colombi T, Nagel KA, Weih M (2021). Shoot and root traits underlying genotypic variation in early vigor and nutrient accumulation in spring wheat grown in high-latitude light conditions. Plants 10: 174. doi: 10.3390/plants10010174.

Hirte J, Walder F, Hess J, Büchi L, Colombi T, van der Heijden MGA, Mayer J (2021). Enhanced root carbon allocation through organic farming is restricted to topsoils. Science of the Total Environment 755: 143551. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143551.

Colombi T, Kirchgessner N, Iseskog D, Alexandersson S, Larsbo M, Keller T (2021). A time-lapse imaging platform for quantification of soil crack development due to simulated root water uptake. Soil and Tillage Research 205: 104769 .doi: 10.1016/j.still.2020.104769.

Williams H, Colombi T, Keller T (2020). The influence of soil management on soil health: an on-farm study in southern Sweden. Geoderma 360: 114010. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.114010.

Herrmann AM, Colombi T (2019). Energy use efficiency of root growth – a theoretical bioenergetics framework. Plant Signaling & Behavior 14: e1685147 . doi: 10.1080/15592324.2019.1685147.

Keller T, Sandin M, Colombi T, Horn, R, Or, D (2019). Historical evolution of soil stress levels and consequences for soil functioning. Soil and Tillage Research 194: 104293. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2019.104293.

Colombi T, Herrmann AM, Vallenback P, Keller T (2019). Cortical cell diameter is key to energy costs of root growth in wheat. Plant Physiol 180: 2049–2060. Plant Physiology 174: 2289–2301. doi: 10.1104/pp.19.00262.

Colombi T, Keller T (2019). Developing strategies to recover crop productivity after soil compaction – A plant eco-physiological perspective. Soil and Tillage Research 191: 156–161. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2019.04.008.

Colombi T, Walder F, Büchi L, Sommer M, Liu K, Six J, van der Heijden MGA, Charles R, Keller T (2019). On-farm study reveals positive relationship between gas transport capacity and organic carbon content in arable soil. SOIL 5: 91-105. doi: 10.5194/soil-5-91-2019.

Colombi T, Torres LC, Walter A, Keller T (2018). Feedbacks between soil penetration resistance, root architecture and water uptake limit water accessibility and crop growth – a vicious circle.  Science of the Total Environment 626: 1026-1035. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.129.

Colombi T, Kirchgessner N, Walter A, Keller T (2017). Root tip shape governs root elongation rate under increased soil strength. Plant Physiology 174: 2289–2301.

Colombi T, Braun S, Keller T, Walter A (2017). Artificial macropores attract crop roots and enhance plant productivity on compacted soils. Science of the Total Environment 574: 1283–129.

Keller T, Colombi T, Ruiz S, Manalili MP, Rek J, Stadelmann V, Wunderli H, Breitenstein D, Reiser R, Oberholzer H, et al (2017). Long-term soil structure observatory for monitoring post-compaction evolution of soil structure. Vadose Zone Journal. doi: 10.2136/vzj2016.11.011.

Colombi T, Walter A (2017). Genetic diversity under soil compaction in wheat: root number as a promising trait for early plant vigor. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 1–14. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00420.

Colombi T, Walter A (2016). Root responses of triticale and soybean to soil compaction in the field are reproducible under controlled conditions. Functional Plant Biology 43: 114–128.

Pfeifer J, Kirchgessner N, Colombi T, Walter A (2015). Rapid phenotyping of crop root systems in undisturbed field soils using X-ray computed tomography. Plant Methods. doi: 10.1186/s13007-015-0084-4.

Colombi T, Kirchgessner N, Le Marié CA, York LM, Lynch JP, Hund A (2015). Next generation shovelomics: set up a tent and REST. Plant and Soil 388: 1–20.


Contact

Non employee at the Department of Soil and Environment; Mark och miljö, Markmekanik och jordbearbetning
Telephone: +4618672327, +46722021483
Postal address:
Box 7014
750 07 Uppsala
Visiting address: Lennart Hjelms väg 9, Uppsala