Bartz Technology Corporation products

RRP-MicroRhizon samplers are mainly used in RhizonBoxes and agar tests. They consist of two parts: a porous part (i.e. microfiltration membrane) of 8 mm with an outer diameter of 1 mm, and PEEK tubing (0.6*0.4 mm; 12 cm long) with a connector fit to a syringe. The mean pore size of the porous part is 0.15 µm, hence no filtering of samples before analysing is required. The yield of MicroRhizons is up to 2 ml (depending on pore water availability). As the tubing of MicroRhizons consists of PEEK and a special glue, it is possible to steam-sterilise them. All Rhizon samplers are sold in sets of 10. Click HERE for further information from the manufacturer.

RPP-Rhizon samplers are used for (un-)disturbed soils (see types below), and are thus ideal to be positioned in Rhizoboxes and RhizonBoxes. Especially RhizonBoxes can be equipped with special openings on the side wall (e.g. at different depth) to insert special Rhizon samplers (with sleeve to prevent leakage of water from the RhizonBox) before or after soil filling. They can be used to collect water from larger zones (length of porous parts: 5 cm or 10 cm) for analyzing macro and micro elements, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved gases. Using Rhizons with a 10 cm porous part, maximum yield of water is approximately 4 ml per minute.

VSI MS-190S Starter Set. The complete set includes everything needed to install and run an replicated minirhizotron experiment. It is especially intended for user who want to start using the minirhizotron technology to study root system development and root turnover.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), also known as acrylic or acrylic glass as well as by the trade names Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and Perspex among several others, is a transparent thermoplastic often used as a lightweight and shatter-resistant alternative to glass. Its environmental stability (UV and weathering) is superior to most other plastics and PMMA is therefore the material of choice for outdoor applications such as MR tubes.

Ultra-high resolution (2500 dpi). "Manageable" image size (max. 34 mm x 24 mm in 7 cm MR tube) for manual root tracing. Very fast imaging (<1 s), no "white calibration" necessary, for efficient imaging campaigns. Live root images, important for any screening purposes. UI Option: image resizing (20 mm x 20 mm) and correction of non-linearity (due to MR tube curvature). Accurate and robust indexing system (classical "Smucker" handle with novel indexing head for fast, reliable circular positioning). 12V (3A) system, fully field, and greenhouse operable; Optional: internal, rechargeable batteries. Usable in horizontal, vertical and angled MR tubes; MR tube dimensions compatible to BARTZ and MR scanner systems; MR tubes of up to 500 cm in length!

Since 1984, the MR imaging systems BTC-2 and BTC-100X of Bartz technology Corporation set the standard for MR imaging. The robust design, the unique and effective positioning system ("Smucker handle") and the reliable video camera were used world-wide in a plethora of research projects addressing root depth distribution, root turnover and hyphae development to name a small selection of topics. The software ICAP helped to structure experiments and to capture and annotate images in a consistent way and remains until today a reliable tool for beginners and experienced users alike.