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A method for extracting plant roots from soil which facilitates rapid sample processing without compromising measurement accuracy
Author(s) -
Metcalfe D. B.,
Williams M.,
Aragão L. E. O. C.,
Da Costa A. C. L.,
De Almeida S. S.,
Braga A. P.,
Gonçalves P. H. L.,
De Athaydes J.,
Junior Silva,
Malhi Y.,
Meir P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02032.x
Subject(s) - percentile , mathematics , confidence interval , extraction (chemistry) , statistics , soil science , soil test , sample (material) , root (linguistics) , environmental science , soil water , chemistry , chromatography , linguistics , philosophy
Summary• This study evaluates a novel method for extracting roots from soil samples and applies it to estimate standing crop root mass (± confidence intervals) in an eastern Amazon rainforest. • Roots were manually extracted from soil cores over a period of 40 min, which was split into 10 min time intervals. The pattern of cumulative extraction over time was used to predict root extraction beyond 40 min. A maximum‐likelihood approach was used to calculate confidence intervals. • The temporal prediction method added 21–32% to initial estimates of standing crop root mass. According to predictions, complete manual root extraction from 18 samples would have taken c. 239 h, compared with 12 h using the prediction method. Uncertainties (percentage difference between mean, and 10th and 90th percentiles) introduced by the prediction method were small (12–15%), compared with uncertainties caused by spatial variation in root mass (72–191%, for nine samples per plot surveyed). • This method provides a way of increasing the number of root samples processed per unit time, without compromising measurement accuracy.