A method for extracting plant roots from soil which facilitates rapid sample processing without compromising measurement accuracy.
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.
Metcalfe
D B
DB
University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.|Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden.
Williams
M
M
University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
Aragão
L E O C
LEOC
University of Oxford, Centre for the Environment, Oxford, UK.
Da Costa
A C L
ACL
Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
De Almeida
S S
SS
Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Coordenação de Botânica, Belém, Brazil.
Braga
A P
AP
Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
Gonçalves
P H L
PHL
Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
De Athaydes
J
J
University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
Junior
Silva
S
Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Geociências, Belém, Brazil.
Malhi
Y
Y
University of Oxford, Centre for the Environment, Oxford, UK.
Meir
P
P
University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh, UK.
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
D012987:Soil