Video image method compared to a hand method for determining root lengths

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Abstract
Root lengths are much more sensitive to treatment effects than root weights. Therefore, root length measurements are essential to research concerning rhizosphere effects on plant roots. A video image analyzer method was compared to a hand method for determining the root length of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seedlings resulting from nutrient solution experiments. Initial root lengths were not significantly different, thus only final lengths were recorded. T‐tests for differences between hand and instrument values showed that although absolute values were often significantly different, there were much fewer significant differences in normalized data. Normalized instrumental root length data were well correlated with hand data (r > 0.96) and slopes of the regressions were equal to 1.00. Intercepts were higher than zero. Thus, although the normalized instrumental values for root length were somewhat higher than for hand root lengths, the instrument lengths were very precise in indicating relative differences among treatments.