Hello Ahmed

use of ground penetrating radar(GPR)  to find the biomass and 3D-structure of root systems are being established. Since you had mentioned for irrigation systems, it is highly possible to study the root system using GPR. I hope we could use this technology to understand the extent of distribution of root system and also since the radar is so sensitive to moisture, we could use the same property to understand on water stress or requirement in the root system. Apart from this field work as stated by Haleem shah would add up more accuracy along with GPR.

Hello Ahmed! When I read your question I remember this book: "Plant Roots: The Hidden" Half. ISBN 9781439846483. May be you can contact the authors of specific chapters for suggestions about your questions. Good luck!!!

Pl see the following article : http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1018-1806/2012/1018-18061256001N.pdf on root structure.

Hi Ahmed, Mohamed Musthafa suggested a very good system. I will be curious to know about ground penetrating radars too.

I also suggest you to look into SHOVELOMICS. Pennstate has a very well established protocol for maize. Here are few links which might interest you,

http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/labs/roots/methods/field/shovelomics

http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/labs/roots/methods/field/shovelomics/shovelomics

http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/labs/roots/publications/overviews/next-generation-shovelomics-set-up-a-tent-and-rest

http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/labs/roots/publications/overviews/shovelomics-high-throughput-phenotyping-of-maize-zea-mays-l.-root-architecture-in-the-field

Good luck

Dear Ahmed, I think it is difficult to be sure that you can collect all the root system from the soil particularly with woody plants unless you follow a destructive digging method followed by shaking and wasting a huge amount of water for washing and removing soil particles. Instead I prefer core sampling with a certain size diameters in representative sites and horizons.

There are cameras available that can be installed at different depths to watch and record root growth. Japanese scientists have done lot of work on root studies in plants. Check Japanese literature on the subject.

I have learned following the discussion. Thank you all.

Hello,

I wrote with collegues the chapter about tree roots in the hidden half.

From what I know, there is no research paper published using GPR to study coarse roots, but a lot of methodological papers concerning this technique. It works only in certain soils, only when you have large differences in water content between roots and soil, and signal depends upon orientation of roots. Its very difficult to separate the root of different plants in the same soil. It was used for gross root biomass estimation, correlations with really measured  biomass seem good, I don't know if it is because this method really measures the biomass or if it is an artifact (Glenn Bengough showed that the correlation between biomass and electrical impedance is an artifact). It maybe work well in a sandy desert with a single plant with only horizontal roots.

We published a paper about the amount of coarse root you loose by excavation, as a function of root type :

Danjon F, Caplan JS, Fortin M and Meredieu C 2013 Descendant root volume varies as a function of root type: estimation of root biomass lost during uprooting in Pinus pinaster. Front. Plant Sci. 4:402. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00402

And a synthesis about coarse root research methods :

Danjon F, Reubens B 2008 Assessing and analyzing 3D architecture of woody root systems, a review of methods and applications in tree and soil stability, resource acquisition and allocation. Plant and Soil 303:1-34. DOI: 10.1007/s11104-007-9470-7

Danjon F, Stokes A, Bakker MR 2013 Root Systems of Woody Plants. In: Eshel, A., Beeckman, T., eds. Plant Roots: The Hidden Half, Fourth Edition. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC press, 29.1-29.21.

 Sincerely

Frederic Danjon - INRA Bordeaux

How about using a mini-rhizotron?  You can image fine roots in detail. Then use software to analyze.  Here's a paper that might help.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377408000796

Yes one study was done by Pramila Agrawal published in Geoderma

Assessing woody root system and its biomass is very difficult. in field condition. Digging of  roots  and primary, secondary and tertiary roots which is grater than 0.2 cm diameter can be collected but fine root is not possible. this is also depends on type of soil. If pot experiment, it is possible only.

Dear Ahmed,

it is very hard task, but it only partly possible. As few previous cmoments from collegs

coment:

1. It is pretty precise possible in pots growing plants. If you put hole sol with roots on the very fine mesh and using water with easy and carefully flowing and during the some longer period the root will be alone.

2. Also is possible from the field soil core, but is much harder and less sucess. Of course, it is impossible get entire (full) root system. At Agricultural insitute Osijek we use washing up the primaly and some secondary roots for detrming the root insects (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, 1858), but it was mainly primarly and some secondary roots.

3. The very sucessful could be a differnet possibilities of scaning instruments as some colleges suggested.

4. Some kind of natural colours to colored the fertilizers could be good markers for root system for later scanning might also help.

I am also interested if you will sucess for some information later.

Best regards

Marko 

It is basically impossible.

                 Bater to go Hydroponics...In this method you will get full root system of plant

Thanks for all colleagues about answers and helping 

The question is not reflected that  you want methodology of  plant or tree root. In field condition root study is very difficult along with accuracy.  Root crown spreading depends upon species and geneous. Soil coring gives the best root by depth distributions and is commonly used for irrigation and drought studies in field condition.  Digging soil adhering spreading roots upto 5 mm or less diameter in tree species in field condition. In pot experiments root morphology, surface area and volume and nodules etc of root is study through soil of container  can take out side and roots leave adhered soil easily. Roots wash and take respective measurement  .  

There is some instrument s available to measures root length and other properties from scanned images.

You can use a boxes with sand and and put inside a special metal ызщлуы   in chess order through  the boxes wall. In 10cm distance from each other.  It would support roots  in natural state. After growing season one wall remove carefully and washing sand out. You will be can see roots in natural state!!!