The use of green fluorescent protein as a tool to identify roots in mixed plant stands.

Roots take up most of the resources required by a plant, but a lack of efficient research tools hinders our understanding of the function and relevance of the root system. This is especially evident when the research focus is not on a single plant, but on multiple plants that share the same soil resources. None of the available methods allow for simple, inexpensive, non-destructive, and objective assignment of observed roots in a mixture of plants to a target plant.