22The rhizosphere, which is the region of soil adjacent to plant roots, is affected by 23 the activities of both plant roots and associated microorganisms which cause changes in 24 soil properties including nutrient mineral composition. Accordingly, the actual 25 availability of plant nutrients may not be the same as that estimated on the basis of bulk 26 soil analysis. However, the extent and manner in which the availability of plant nutrients 27 in bulk and rhizosphere soils differ remain unclear. Therefore, the present study defined 28 the rhizosphere as the soil adhered to plant roots, established a set of small-scale protocols 29 for analyzing the nutrient minerals of small soil samples, and then characterized the 30 rhizosphere soil of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. The mineral contents of the 31 bulk and rhizosphere soil differed significantly, with nutrient contents generally greater 32 in the rhizosphere, and particularly remarkable accumulation was observed in regards to 33 ammonium ion and exchangeable potassium concentrations. Such accumulation might be 34 due, in part, to the greater per weight surface areas of rhizosphere soil particles, but other 35 mechanisms, including the accumulation of organic matter, could also be involved.3 36 Introduction 37 The environment in the immediate vicinity of plant roots, the rhizosphere, is 38 generally considered to be distinct from that of the surrounding soil (i.e., bulk soil), and 39 the differences in these two regions can be attributed to multiple factors. Respiration by 40 roots, for example, is associated with the consumption of oxygen and production of 41 carbon dioxide, thereby causing local changes in gas composition. Meanwhile, the 42 excretion of exudates by plant roots provides a food source for heterotrophic microbes 43 and promotes the establishment of distinct microbial communities [1][2][3]. Furthermore, the 44 selective uptake of nutrients by roots, release of protons or bicarbonate ions in exchange 45 with absorbed nutrients, and the release of plant-derived organic acids or chelators to 46 solubilize sparingly soluble salts cause changes in the chemical composition of the 47 rhizosphere [4]. Together, the resulting differences between the nutrient availabilities of 48 bulk and rhizosphere soil can have significant effects on plant growth. However, the 49 extent and manner in which the availability of plant nutrients in bulk and rhizosphere 50 soils differ remain unclear. For example, the ammonium ion (NH 4 + ) levels of rhizosphere 51 soil have been reported to be both higher [5][6][7] or lower [8,9] than that of bulk soil, and 52 the same trend has been reported for potassium (K) [10][11][12].
53To gain insights into the rhizosphere, soil needs to be fractionated according to 54 distance from plant roots. The so-called "rhizobox" technique, for example, allows roots 55 grow within a compartment of soil that is separated from the surrounding region with fine 56 mesh, which prevents the roots from mixing with the surrounding soil but...