Modeling Water Fluxes in the Soil Plant System
The 2nd International Summer School on Advanced Soil Physics: Soil-Plant-Water Flow will be held at UCLouvain, Belgium, from 8 to 12 September 2025. This intensive one-week program aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of water flow in the soil-rhizosphere-plant system, influenced by plant physiology and rhizosphere hydraulics. Attendees will gain both theoretical knowledge of soil and plant water flow and practical skills to model these processes using advanced numerical tools.
This summer school is tailored for master’s and PhD students, and early-career scientists working in soil physics, plant physiology, water management, environmental science, and related fields. Applicants should have an early-stage familiarity with soil physics in their research and an interest in deepening their knowledge and skills. While prior programming experience is beneficial, group projects will provide opportunities to learn basic programming skills. Participants will receive support from mentors and teaching assistants throughout the program.
Each participant will be provided with a computer. Additional practical information will be shared with the selected participants.
Fees
500 euros.
The fees include coffee/tea, and lunches. It does not include accommodation.
Applicants from middle- and low-income countries may apply for a grant (see application form).
Location
de Serres building (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Hh6PSj72jgoQRuoN7)
Croix du Sud 2
1348-Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium
Provisional Program
The program will be updated progressively.
|
Day |
Topics |
|
1 |
Challenges of soil Physics Root physiology |
|
2 |
Root-scale and rhizosphere hydraulics |
|
3 |
Plant Hydraulic Architecture |
|
4 |
3D soil-plant water flow modeling |
|
5 |
Simplified approaches in soil-plant water flow modelling and roundtables |
Important Dates
|
Date |
|
|
1st February |
Start of the application |
|
1st May |
Application deadline |
|
15th May |
Notification of decision |
|
30th May |
Complementary practical information shared with the selected participants |
Course organizers and current list of lecturers
- Prof. Dr. Jan Vanderborght
- Prof. Dr. Mathieu Javaux
- Prof. Dr. Andrea Schnepf
- Prof. Dr. Guillaume Lobet
- Prof. Dr. Xavier Draye
- Prof. Dr. Valentin Couvreur
- Mona Giraud
Program
| Day | Topic | Modelling tool |
| 1 |
Theoretical background: |
|
| 2 | Simulating root-scale and rhizosphere hydraulics | GRANAR, MECHA |
| 3 | Simulating 3D root system hydraulic architecture and its evolution | CPlantBox |
| 4 | Simulating water flow in the 3D soil-rhizosphere-root-shoot continuum | CPlantBox, Hydrus-1D |
| 5 | Simplified soil-plant water flow models and discussion of practical applications | Hydrus-1D |
Accommodation options
- The Martin’s Hotel (8 minutes walk from the train station and 15 minutes from the meeting place): https://www.martinshotels.com/fr/page/martins-louvain-la-neuve/martins-louvain-la-neuve-innovation-art-de-vivre-hotel.11057.html
- If Martin’s Hotel is fully booked, another option is Hotel IBIS (20 minutes walk from the train station and 30 minutes from the meeting place): https://all.accor.com/hotel/2200/index.en.shtml
- Cheaper option: youth hostel Mozaik (5 minutes walk from the train station and 15 minutes from the meeting place): https://www.gite-mozaik.be/en/
Link to application form
https://forms.gle/oyy6bRZarwhLCJJ3A
More information
For any additional questions, contact
m.giraud(at)fz-juelich.de