• ISBN13: 9783642086021
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: N/A
• Publisher: Springer
• Publisher Imprint: Springer
• Publication Date: December 1, 2010
• Pages: 594
• Original Price: EUR 199.99
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 899 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Agriculture / Forestry, Life Sciences / Ecology, and Plants / Trees

Why a New Handbook on Root Methods? Uptake of water and nutrients is a key process in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Plant roots play a vital role in the supply of resources for growth, and yet we have a relatively poor understanding of how they function in the natural soil environment. Dr. B6hm began the Preface of his standard text on root research methods (B6hm 1979) with the comment: "Root research under natural jield conditions is a step-child of science. The reason for this is primarily methodological. The known methods are tedious, time-consuming and the accuracy of their results is of ten not very great". Although improvements have been made recently for some methods, working on roots is stiH tedious and time-consuming. Compared to some other disci- plines, a root researcher requires a considerable budget for his or her work. It is for this reason that in root research careful planning, the choice of appro- priate methods and also a clear idea of which root characteristic should be observed in relation to the goal of the research question are fundamental. Con- sequently, it is recommended to make use of "root experience" developed else- where as much as possible.