Roots have always remained the least explored components of the plants. The root-soil interface is the important site where most of the interaction between the plant and its environment takes place. Plant roots serve a multitude of functions of importance for not only the plants by themselves, but also for the ecosystem as a whole.

The first symposium of the ISRR on “Root ecology and its practical application” took place in Austria in 1982 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Lore Kutchera and her scientific group. During the last three decades six different ISRR-symposia have brought together root scientists from different scientific disciplines and nationalities. These symposia have contributed significantly to our understanding of various aspects of the root function of importance for our understanding of the entire plant.

A root scientist is often working in a very narrow field, unaware of what is going on in other areas, even at his own location or university. The aim of the present 7^th symposium of International Society of Root Research (ISRR) on “Root research and application” is to approach the complexity of the root research through a co-ordinated teamwork between multidisciplinary specialists, in order to support the application of the recent findings into practice and to figure out future research priorities.

Contributions are divided into seven areas of interests, reflecting the major topics of the symposium: