Back to the roots: standardizing root length density terminology

Tomke S. Wacker*, Frederik van der Bom, Benjamin M. Delory, Doris Vetterlein, Johannes A. Postma, Kerstin A. Nagel, Andrea Schnepf, Dorte Bodin Dresbøll

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The number of studies investigating root length has increased, particularly in the context of root length measurements observed through windows such as minirhizotrons and rhizoboxes. However, there are currently two obstacles constraining their broader utility: (1) the absence of standardized terminology or units for root length data, and (2) the translation from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) data. Here, we delineate the fundamental disparities between root length measurements obtained from observation windows and via volumetric soil sampling and propose the adoption of more precise terminology to distinguish 2D planar (pRLD) from 3D volumetric (vRLD) root length density measurements. This differentiation should be accompanied with the use of standardized units and should not endeavour to make blanket conversions between dimensions unless this is supported by specific calibration data.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPlant and Soil
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 15 Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Funding

We would like to thank Daniel Leitner and Sibghat Ullah for their insightful contributions to the discussions on the topic of this manuscript. We would further like to thank the reviewers for their valued feedback during the revisions.

FundersFunder number
European Union Grant agreement

    Keywords

    • Minirhizotron
    • Rhizobox
    • Root imaging
    • Root length
    • Root length density
    • Terminology

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