A centrifugation method for determining the fresh weight of aquatic macrophytes

A centrifugation method to remove the surface water from five species of aquatic macrophytes of various morphologies is described and compared with the standard blotting method. The centrifugation method is up to twice as fast and up to three times more accurate than the blotting method. It works particularly well will plants of complex morphology and is less damaging to delicate plants than the blotting method. Errors in fresh weight determination between workers are also eliminated. Repeated centrifugation of plants, at 3-day intervals, was no more deleterious to their growth than the blotting method.