Environ. Sci. Technol. 2003, 37, 638-643
Allometric Modeling of Plant Root Growth and Its Application in Rhizosphere Remediation of Soil Contaminants PAUL E. OLSON,† TOM WONG,‡ MARY BETH LEIGH,§ AND J O H N S . F L E T C H E R * ,§ Biology Department, Colorado State University, E414 A/Z Building, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, Union Carbide Corporation, Subsidiary of TDCC, P.O. Box 471, Texas City, Texas 77592-0471, and Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Room 136, Norman, Oklahoma 73019
Allometric curves relating tree trunk diameter to root biomass, depth, and breadth were compiled for mulberry (Morus sp.). The curves were based on statistical analyses of measurements made on 29 different-sized trees ranging in age from 2 to 15 yr that had grown from seed in a naturally revegetated former sludge basin containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Over a 15-yr period, the curves indicate that the fine root biomass (
