Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-xm8r8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-01T16:08:58.615Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

In situ estimation of root length at natural soil profiles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

W. Böhm
Affiliation:
Institute of Agronomy and Crop Science, University Göttingen, v.-Siebold-Str. 8, W. Germany

Summary

A thin layer of soil was washed from a smoothed soil profile and the length of the roots visible at the profile wall estimated. A grid net was used to count every visible part of a root which was nearly 5 mm long. Roots which were longer than 5 mm were counted more than once. This improvement of the traditional trench profile method provides an estimate of the root length in a soil volume.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bakermans, W. A. P. & De Wit, C. T. (1970). Crop husbandry on naturally compacted soils. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science, 18, 225–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, S. A. (1971). Effect of tillage practice on corn (Zea mays L.). Root distribution and morphology. Agronomy Journal 63, 724–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butijn, J. (1955). Bewortelingsproblemen in de fruitteelt. In De Plantenwortel in de Landbouw (ed. Nederlands Genootschap voor Landbouwwetenschap). 's-Gravenhage: Ministerie van Landbouw.Google Scholar
Butijn, J. (1958). De betekenis van bewortelingsopnamen in de fruitteelt. Mededelingen Directeur van de Tuinbouw 21, 622–31.Google Scholar
Claassen, N. & Barber, S. A. (1974). A method for characterizing the relation between nutrient concentration and flux into roots of intact plants. Plant Physiology 54, 64–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dittmer, H. J. (1937). A quantitative study of the roots and root hairs of a winter rye plant (Secale cereale). American Journal of Botany 24, 417–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehwald, E., Hausdorfer, H. D., Kundler, P. & Vetterlein, E. (1955). Standortkundliche Untersuchungen an diluvialen Sandböden in der Lehroberförsterei Finowtal. Archiv filr Forstwesen 4, 481500.Google Scholar
Gardner, W. R. (1964). Relation of root distribution to water uptake and availability. Agronomy Journal 56, 41–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Havis, L. (1938). Peach tree root distribution. Ecology 19, 454–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Head, G. C. (1966). Estimating seasonal changes in the quantity of white unsuberized root on fruit trees. Journal of Horticultural Science 41, 197206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houben, J. M. M. Th. (1974). Wortelontwikkeling en bodemgesteldheid. Bedrijfontwikkeling 5, 141–8.Google Scholar
Loeters, J. W. J. & Bakermans, W. A. P. (1964). De invloed van enkele groenbemestingsgewassen en hun beworteling op de structur van zandgronden. Mededelingen Directeur van de Tuinbouw 27, 565–72.Google Scholar
Loeters, J. W. J., Bakermans, W. A. P. & Van Der Zweerde, H. (1969). Invloed van diepe grondbewerking op bewortelbarheid van een zandondergrond. Landbouwvoorlichting 26, 360–8.Google Scholar
Lotz, H. J., Ely, J. B. & Little, S. (1937). The influence of soil profile horizons on root distribution of white pine (Pinua strobtw L.). Bulletin. Yale University: School of Forestry, no. 44.Google Scholar
Newman, J. (1966). A method of estimating the total length of root in a sample. Journal of Applied Ecology 3, 139–45.Google Scholar
Oskamp, J. & Batjer, L. P. (1932). Soils in relation to fruit growing in New York. Part II. Bulletin. Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, no. 550.Google Scholar
Pavlychenko, T. K. (1937). Quantitative study of the entire root systems of weed and crop plants under field conditions. Ecology 18, 6279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reijmerink, A. (1964). Een verbeterde methode voor bewortelingsonderzoek. Mededelingen Directeur van de Tuinbouw 27, 42–9.Google Scholar
Rowse, H. R. & Phillips, D. A. (1974). An instrument for estimating the total length of root in a sample. Journal of Applied Ecology 11, 309–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scully, N. J. (1942). Root distribution and environment in a maple-oak forest. Botanical Gazette 103, 492517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, H. M. & Klepper, B. (1973). Rooting density and water extraction patterns for corn (Zea mays L.). Agronomy Journal 65, 65–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thiel, H. (1892). Anleitung zu Wurzelstudien. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Landwirtschaftsgesellschaft 7, 75–6.Google Scholar
Welbank, P. J., Gibb, M. J., Taylor, P. J. & Williams, E. D. (1973). Root growth of cereal crops. Report Rothamsted Experimental Station for 1973, Part 2, 22–6.Google Scholar