Flat optical scanner method and root dynamics

Abstract

This chapter outlines those methods for assessing root dynamics in situ based on flat office optical scanners inserted into the ground. The main advantages of these scanners are (a) they take wide images of root developing on a flat surface, (b) they can be easily coupled to PC via USB or wireless LAN connection for automatic image acquisition at high frequency, and (c) their low price allows researchers to burry several scanners for several months or years. This new method was successfully used to describe the dynamics of mycorrhizal tips formation on Pinus pinaster root and the development of individual root tips of Quercus serrata.