how to get rhizosphere off roots

To remove rhizosphere soil from roots, excavate plants carefully, shake off loosely adhering soil, then collect the tightly bound soil. This is often done using sterile brushes or by washing roots in buffer solutions followed by centrifugation. Sonication or vortexing in sterile tubes is also used for microbial analysis. Precautions are needed to prevent contamination or loss of microbial biomass.