Quantity and distribution of fine root biomass in the intermediate stage of beech virgin forest Badínsky prales

Abstract

The fine root biomass represents 3,372 kg/ha in the intermediate stage of the beech virgin forest with different admixture of goat willow, where the vast majority of this biomass is located in the uppermost mineral soil layer 0–10 cm. The variability of the fine root biomass calculated from 35 sample points represents approximately 90% of the mean value and reaches the highest value within the humus layer. The total fine root length investigated in 10 cm thick soil layers decreases with increasing soil depth. A significant linear relationship between the fine root length (calculated per 1 cm thick soil layer and 1 m<sup>2</sup> of stand area) and the soil depth was confirmed, although the correlation is rather weak. The number of root tips decreases with increasing soil depth faster than the root length. As the number of tips per 1 cm of root length remains in the finest diameter class without significant changes, the reason is above all a decreased proportion of the finest root class (diameter up to 0.5 mm) from the total fine root length within the particular soil layer.