Below-ground biomass of the common reed (Phragmites australis) in a constructed wetland used for wastewater treatment

My thesis is a part of the project GACR 206/06/0058 Monitoring of selected heavy metals and risk elements in a wastewater cleaning process in artificial wetlands. The goal is to evaluate temporal and spatial variability of underground biomass of Phragmites australis in the artificial wetland used for wastewater treatment in Slavošovice. The destructive method was used for the sampling. The aboveground biomass was determined from six samples taken at the inflow and six samples at the outflow. The belowground biomass (in 2008) was estimated from two samples taken at the inflow and two samples at the outflow. In 2009, the belowground biomass was determined from six samples taken from the inflow and six samples from the outflow. The analysis of the root structure was determined from 12 samples collected at the inflow and 12 samples of the outflow. The mean total aboveground biomass reached 1039 g.m-2 at the inflow and the 1749 g.m-2 at the outflow. Average total belowground biomass in 2009 reached the inflow 1718 g.m-2 and 1562 g.m-2 at the outflow. The average total length of roots growing from one node to was 284,7 m.m-2 and 324,9 m.m-2 in the inflow and outflow part, respectively. Average specific root length of the inflow was 2589,5 cm.g-1 and the outflow 2956,9 cm.g-1. The average total length of roots reaching the inflow of two kilometers and three kilometers of inflow