New method for capturing carbon via root exudates in wild forests
It is well known that plants use carbon dioxide obtained from the air in photosynthesis to use as energy and grow. Naoki Makita and Maiko Akatsuki of Shinshu University confirmed that a large amount of this carbon is expelled into the soil through root exudates. It had previously been confirmed that plants exude organic compounds in liquid form from their root systems in hydroponics and seedlings grown under the lab experiments. However, measurements of root systems of trees growing in the wild had been rarely performed due to technical problems. It was necessary to develop a new measurement method to elucidate the belowground carbon allocation in forest ecosystems to confirm exudates of trees in the natural environment. This method, for the small scale finer root systems needed to be convenient for on-site work.