Abstract
In this chapter, we present methods that we routinely use to measure plant root traits in the field and under controlled environmental conditions (using rhizoboxes). We describe procedures to (1) collect, wash, and store root samples, (2) acquire images of washed root samples, and (3) measure root traits using image analysis. In addition, we also describe sampling methods for studying belowground productivity, soil exploration, and root distribution in the first soil layers at the community level (soil coring and ingrowth core method). Because the use of rhizoboxes allows a nondestructive and dynamic measurement of traits hardly accessible in the field, a section of this chapter is devoted to the acquisition and analysis of images of roots growing in rhizoboxes.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Thomas Niemeyer (Leuphana University, Germany) for its excellent technical support. We are also thankful to Dr. Guillaume Lobet for providing some images used in this book chapter. This research was funded by CNPq Brazil (Ciência Sem Fronteiras Program) with the PhD scholarship of Emanuela W.A. Weidlich, BMBF in Germany for the INPLAMINT PhD project of Richard van Duijnen within the BonaRes soils programme, as well as by the Chair of Ecosystem Functioning and Services, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany.
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Delory, B.M., Weidlich, E.W.A., van Duijnen, R., Pagès, L., Temperton, V.M. (2018). Measuring Plant Root Traits Under Controlled and Field Conditions: Step-by-Step Procedures. In: Ristova, D., Barbez, E. (eds) Root Development. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1761. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7747-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7747-5_1
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