Many have used mini-rhizotron tubes installed in the ground and then captured images with a scanner connected to a computer. Software to analyze the images for roots is then employed. The system is very effective at non-destructively obtaining in situ root samples, but there are some obvious drawbacks. We've used them extensively in our studies. Several papers have been published using this method and there are two companies that sell the equipment. There is another method to install an entire rhizotron in the ground to measure roots. Again, drawbacks exist along with the benefits.
If you can't find the information or publications, let me know and I can help off list. Steve ……………………………………. Stephen L. Young, PhD Weed Ecologist University of Nebraska-Lincoln West Central Research & Extension Center 402 West State Farm Road North Platte, NE 69101 -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of ?? Sent: Friday, July 05, 2013 5:42 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Fwd: Root depth measurement Hi all， I want to do some measurement of the root depth of plants (including shrub, grass and forb). Excavation of the whole plant root system is most straightforward but hard to get permission for, especially for shrubs. Do you guys have any idea how to measure/extrapolate root depth with minimum impact on plants and soil? Thank you so much! Cheers, Jade (P.S.: I've found from literature two alternatives, one of which is to sample soil cores near the gamet and measure root biomass at each depth level then extrapolate 95% root depth, the other is to inject tracer into certain depth of soil and see whether it can be detected in plants. Both seem complicated and potentially destructive;b I am under the impression that plant above ground height should be somehow correlated to root depth. Is there any way of inferring root depth from this too?) -- Yu Zhang (Jade) Ph.D Student in Environment Science, Policy and Management College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, USA Tel: (+1) 510-3257206 Email: elizabeth...@gmail.com Skype: ElizaZ663
