title: A method for extracting plant roots from soil which facilitates rapid sample processing without compromising measurement accuracy.
abstract: 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.
authors: University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.|Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: D B
authors: DB
authors: Metcalfe
authors: University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Williams
authors: University of Oxford, Centre for the Environment, Oxford, UK.
authors: L E O C
authors: LEOC
authors: Aragão
authors: Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
authors: A C L
authors: ACL
authors: Da Costa
authors: Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Coordenação de Botânica, Belém, Brazil.
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: De Almeida
authors: Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
authors: A P
authors: AP
authors: Braga
authors: Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
authors: P H L
authors: PHL
authors: Gonçalves
authors: University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: De Athaydes
authors: Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
authors: Silva
authors: S
authors: Junior
authors: University of Oxford, Centre for the Environment, Oxford, UK.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Malhi
authors: University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Meir
mesh_terms: D016013:Likelihood Functions; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012107:Research Design; D012987:Soil; D013020:South America; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D012987:Soil