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Detection frequency of Pinus thunbergii roots by ground-penetrating radar is related to root biomass

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Abstract

Aims

Tree roots in forest soils can be detected using nondestructive ground-penetrating radar (GPR). However, few studies have investigated root detection frequency; i.e., how many and which roots are identified in a radar profile out of the total quantity of roots present in a forest stand. The objective of this study was to quantify root detection frequency and uncertainty, including relationships between root detection and radar parameters using 1.5 GHz GPR in a Pinus thunbergii forest on sandy soils.

Methods

We compared the vertical distribution of 829 excavated roots with distributions identified visually in radar profiles using GPR on 17 transects.

Results

The detection frequency for number of roots less than 1.0 cm in diameter was only 6.6 %, but 54 % of roots that were larger than 1.0 cm were detected. Roots larger than 2.0 cm were identified with less frequency by GPR at deeper depths (20–30 cm) than were shallower roots.

Conclusion

Our study indicates that GPR methods estimate root biomass to be 68 % of the excavated root biomass and that the detection frequency for number of roots in radar profiles using GPR is related to root biomass, although there is uncertainty in the attenuation of radar waves with depth, soil water condition and root orientation.

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Abbreviations

GPR:

Ground-penetrating radar

SE:

Standard error

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Acknowledgments

We greatly acknowledge the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This study was supported by Grands-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (Nos. 18380095, 22380090). We thank the National Awaji Youth Friendship Center for permission to use the experimental field, and S. Asano-Tsuji, T. Ikeda and D. Nomoto for help with the field experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Yasuhiro Hirano

  2. Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Kyoto, 612-0855, Japan

    Yasuhiro Hirano

  3. Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kobe University, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Rika Yamamoto, Masako Dannoura, Naoki Makita & Yoichi Kanazawa

  4. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Masako Dannoura & Naoki Makita

  5. The General Environmental Technos Co., Ltd. (KANSO TECHNOS), Osaka, 541-0052, Japan

    Kenji Aono, Tetsurou Igarashi & Masahiro Ishii

  6. Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Shiso, 671-2515, Japan

    Keitarou Yamase

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  1. Yasuhiro Hirano
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  2. Rika Yamamoto
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  3. Masako Dannoura
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  4. Kenji Aono
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  9. Yoichi Kanazawa
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Correspondence to Yasuhiro Hirano.

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Responsible Editor: Alain Pierret.

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Hirano, Y., Yamamoto, R., Dannoura, M. et al. Detection frequency of Pinus thunbergii roots by ground-penetrating radar is related to root biomass. Plant Soil 360, 363–373 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1252-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1252-1

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