Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to study tree roots volume in pine forest and poplar plantation

1. Introduction The evaluation of tree root biomass is significant and difficult to survey accurately. Traditional approach used for roots biomass harvest (e.g., soil cores and trenches) provide reasonable accurate information but they are destructive in nature, labour intensive, and limited whit respect to soil volume and surface area that can be assessed. Data derived from traditional root extraction approaches are also generally limited to root biomass averages across plots or treatments rather than information on root distribution. Sampling needed to detect difference among treatments can be expensive as well as time consuming for technical personal. For the above reason test and develop new indirect tools for roots biomass survey appears of leading importance.