After initial root barrier studies during the early 1980s, publications
increased substantially during the mid to late 1990s, mirroring
their increased popularity. Despite over 20 years of study,
relatively few articles describing root barriers have been published
to date, likely the consequence of the high costs and long
timeframes associated with belowground experiments. Despite
this, the published studies have successfully described root barriers
and their uses, contrasted the practical application and effectiveness
of different classes and types of barriers, and exposed
some important limitations to their use