The Rhizotron as a Tool for Root Research

Huck, M. G.; Taylor, Howard M.

doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(08)60320-x

Cited by 92 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Root growth rate can be determined with the aid of rhizotrons or underground windows, where roots can be observed (Huck and Taylor, 1982). Even though only a portion of the root system of plants growing in rhizotrons or underground windows can be observed, the ability to make nondestructive multiple observations is an advantage (Harris et al, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of nitrogen application rate on the magnitude of root and shoot growth flushes of Viburnum odoratissimum Ker-Gawl

Schoene

Yeager

2006

Plant Soil

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Most trees and shrubs have cyclic, rather than continuous shoot and root growth. Growth cycles have important implications with regards to transplant and fertilization timing. Although growth cycles of several woody species have been characterized, no information is available on sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum). A series of experiments was conducted to study shoot and root growth flushes of sweet viburnum and the influence of nitrogen fertilization on flushes. Plants were grown in observation tubes and kept under greenhouse conditions. Sweet viburnum exhibited alternating periods of root and shoot elongation, and the root elongation peak preceded shoot elongation peak by 6-18 days. Increased nitrogen fertilization rate negatively impacted the magnitude and number of root growth flushes. Further research is needed to determine when maximum nitrogen uptake is occurring, relative to root and shoot growth cycles.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of nitrogen application rate on the magnitude of root and shoot growth flushes of Viburnum odoratissimum Ker-Gawl

Schoene

Yeager

2006

Plant Soil

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“…Itoh (1985) assumes that the total root length observed equates with the length of root that would have been present in the volume of soil displaced by the tube, whereas Atkinson (1985) and MackieDawson and Atkinson (1991) assume that the sample volume is that which can be seen at the soil-tube interface. In the latter method, the volume will vary with type and condition of the soil and with the diameter of the roots (Atkinson, 1985;Huck and Taylor, 1982). Alternatively, R L D in a cube of soil may be estimated by counting the number of roots that intersect cube faces (Lang, 1972;Lang and Melhuish, 1970;Melhuish and Lang, 1968).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A method for counting roots observed in minirhizotrons and their theoretical conversion to root length density

et al. 1993

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A method for counting root intersections with observation tubes (mini-or micro-rhizotrons) is proposed that allows a theoretical conversion of root counts to estimated root length density and which is robust to the effects of tracking along the tubes. A field test showed that the method agreed well with measured root length densities in cores for wild cherry roots but not for roots of pasture species. The circumstances in which the method might be expected to perform well are discussed. Analysis of data from a field trial revealed that root counts were not uniformly distributed around the circumference of the observation tube. Implications for the design of such trials are noted.

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“…In this case, greater root deepening is expected near the tubes than in the bulk soil (Vos and Groenwold 1987;De Ruijter et al 1996) due to lower penetration resistance (Taylor and B€ ohm 1976;Huck and Taylor 1982). This is related to tube inclination, which can affect root patterns and orientation.…”

Section: Minirhizotrons: Technical Notes and Installationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minirhizotrons in Modern Root Studies

2011

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In recent years, minirhizotrons have received increasing interest in field studies for characterising several biological processes, such as fine root production, root longevity, mycorrhization and parasitism, as collecting repeated video or digital images allows the fate of individual roots to be followed in time.This review summarises recent technical improvements in root observation and imaging, comparing results from various construction materials and installation angles. Both glass and transparent acrylic or polycarbonate tubes have shown a relatively low influence on root behaviour; tilted tubes are preferred to vertically oriented ones, in order to avoid artefacts, and to horizontal ones, which involve considerable soil disturbance during positioning in their surroundings in the open field. Precise camera positioning systems and new high-resolution (600 DPI and more) digital sensors are currently replacing external-tracked tubes and analog sensors, enhancing image capturing and quality. This allows for frequent root observation throughout the plant cycle and seasons, required for accurate estimation of root dynamics.Although manual and semi-automatic image analysis requires timing and tedious work, in the last few years minirhizotron systems have been increasingly used, thanks to fundamental advances in image analysis. The development of new algorithms for root detection and measurement in minirhizotron images has speeded up processing and research. The most interesting results in image analysis derive from the integration of luminance intensity-and geometry-based root vs. non-root classifiers. Discrepancies still remain between minirhizotron data and

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The Rhizotron as a Tool for Root Research

Cited by 92 publications

References 42 publications

Influence of nitrogen application rate on the magnitude of root and shoot growth flushes of Viburnum odoratissimum Ker-Gawl

Influence of nitrogen application rate on the magnitude of root and shoot growth flushes of Viburnum odoratissimum Ker-Gawl

A method for counting roots observed in minirhizotrons and their theoretical conversion to root length density

Minirhizotrons in Modern Root Studies

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