Excavation Methods

Abstract

To expose the complete root system of a plant, one must remove the surrounding soil, which is normally accomplished by careful excavation of the soil surrounding the individual roots. Depending on the objective of the study, this procedure may be accompanied by simultaneously drawing or photographing the position and relationship of the various roots exposed. This traditional excavation method, also referred to as the skeleton method, is the oldest method used in ecological root research (Hales, 1727; Du Hamel Du Monceau, 1764/65; Thiel, 1870; Hays, 1889; Kraus, 1892—1896; Fruhwirth, 1895; Schultz-Lupitz, 1895; Ballantyne, 1916, and others). J.E. Weaver, the leading root ecologist during the first half of the twentieth century (see Sect. 2), developed the excavation technique into a well-founded, scientific procedure. Although his techniques have been refined by a number of workers, the basic principles outlined by Weaver (1926) are still valid today.