Root
release of organic compounds and rate of the vascular sap flow are
important for understanding the nutrient and the source-sink dynamics in
plants, however, their determination is procedurally cumbersome and
time consuming. We report here a simple method involving 14C
labeling for rapid and reliable measurement of root exudates and
vascular sap flow rate in a variable groundnut population developed
through seed gamma irradiation using a cobalt source (60Co). An experimental hypothesis that a higher 14C level in the vascular sap would indicate a higher root release of carbon by the roots into the rhizosphere was verified.