Summary
An autoradiographic method for studying the distribution of the root system in the root space is described. Subsequent to radioactive labelling (32P,33P,35S) of the living part of the root system, the rooted soil is deep-frozen with liquid nitrogen and cut into thin slices. The location of the cut living roots in the soil cross sections can thereupon be determined by means of autoradiography. The method is suitable for various types of soils and can be employed in investigations with pot cultures and in the field. The technique has proved to be particularly effective for the determination of the average distances between roots in the context of investigating root competition for nutrients.
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Fusseder, A. A method for measuring length, spatial distribution and distances of living rootsin situ . Plant Soil 73, 441–445 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02184323
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02184323