Researchers from the Institute for Soil Sciences at the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research followed the harmful effect of soil heavy metal (cadmium) contamination on crop plants by fine-time dielectric (impedance) measurement of intact root systems in pot experiments. Their results were published in the journal “Environmental Science and Pollution Research” in open access form. The findings verified the efficiency of the method for real-time detection of stress response without damaging the plant. The dielectric approach – in combination with conventional plant physiological investigations – could contribute to breeding more stress-tolerant crop cultivars.