Approaches for the analysis of 3D CT images of plant roots
An impressive amount of plant CT scanning data has been collected, but how to analyze these data efficiently and accurately remains a challenge. The authors of a new study review statistical and computational approaches that have been or may be effective for the analysis of 3D CT images of plant roots.
They describe and comment on different approaches to aspects of the analysis of plant roots based on images, namely, (1) root segmentation, i.e., the isolation of root from non-root matter; (2) root-system reconstruction; and (3) extraction of higher-level phenotypes.
As many of these approaches are novel and have yet to be applied to this context, the researchers limit themselves to brief descriptions of the methodologies. With the rapid development and growing use of X-ray CT scanning technologies to generate large volumes of data relevant to root structure, it is timely to review existing and potential quantitative and computational approaches to the analysis of such data. Summaries of several computational tools are included in the Appendix.
Access the full study at agronomy.