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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 45(2)

A specialised soil corer for sampling tree roots

Stanley Sochacki A B , Peter Ritson A and Bruce Brand A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Forest Products Commission & Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, Rivervale 6103, WA, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: stans@fpc.wa.gov.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 45(2) 111-117 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR06014
Submitted: 1 February 2006  Accepted: 15 February 2007   Published: 28 March 2007

Abstract

Sampling and measurement of tree root systems is arduous, expensive, and time-consuming. The lack of adequate and efficient equipment has resulted in the development of a new soil-root sampling apparatus which is able to sample tree roots of any diameter and soils of any hardness. This apparatus is inexpensive, compact, manoeuvrable, and very versatile in application.

Additional keywords: soil cores, root sampling, coring.


Acknowledgments

We thank Mathew Williams (biometrician) from the Department of Conservation and Land Management Western Australia, for his advice and help with the statistical analysis. Also John Raison and Kelvin Montague from the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting for their comments.


References


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Appendix 1. Schematic diagram of coring head

A1