TY - JOUR
T1 - An optimized rhizobox protocol to visualize root growth and responsiveness to localized nutrients
AU - Schmidt, Jennifer E.
AU - Lowry, Carolyn
AU - Gaudin, Amelie C.M.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge anonymous reviewers for their feedback, as well as J.C. Cahill and Tan Bao for initial guidance on developing the rhizobox protocol. Funding was provided by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station Project CA-D-PLS-2332-H, to A.G. and by the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences through a fellowship to J.S.
Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge anonymous reviewers for their feedback, as well as J.C. Cahill and Tan Bao for initial guidance on developing the rhizobox protocol. Funding was provided by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station Project CA-D-PLS-2332-H, to A.G. and by the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences through a fellowship to J.S.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Journal of Visualized Experiments.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Roots are notoriously difficult to study. Soil is both a visual and mechanical barrier, making it difficult to track roots in situ without destructive harvest or expensive equipment. We present a customizable and affordable rhizobox method that allows the non-destructive visualization of root growth over time and is particularly well-suited to studying root plasticity in response to localized resource patches. The method was validated by assessing maize genotypic variation in plasticity responses to patches containing15N-labeled legume residue. Methods are described to obtain representative developmental measurements over time, measure root length density in resource-containing and control patches, calculate root growth rates, and determine15N recovery by plant roots and shoots. Advantages, caveats, and potential future applications of the method are also discussed. Although care must be taken to ensure that experimental conditions do not bias root growth data, the rhizobox protocol presented here yields reliable results if carried out with sufficient attention to detail.
AB - Roots are notoriously difficult to study. Soil is both a visual and mechanical barrier, making it difficult to track roots in situ without destructive harvest or expensive equipment. We present a customizable and affordable rhizobox method that allows the non-destructive visualization of root growth over time and is particularly well-suited to studying root plasticity in response to localized resource patches. The method was validated by assessing maize genotypic variation in plasticity responses to patches containing15N-labeled legume residue. Methods are described to obtain representative developmental measurements over time, measure root length density in resource-containing and control patches, calculate root growth rates, and determine15N recovery by plant roots and shoots. Advantages, caveats, and potential future applications of the method are also discussed. Although care must be taken to ensure that experimental conditions do not bias root growth data, the rhizobox protocol presented here yields reliable results if carried out with sufficient attention to detail.
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U2 - 10.3791/58674
DO - 10.3791/58674
M3 - Article
C2 - 30394399
AN - SCOPUS:85056268766
SN - 1940-087X
VL - 2018
JO - Journal of Visualized Experiments
JF - Journal of Visualized Experiments
IS - 140
M1 - e58674
ER -