Seethepalli Anand, Dhakal Kundan, Griffiths Marcus, Guo Haichao, Freschet Gregoire T, York Larry M
Noble Research Institute, LLC, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA.
Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France.
AoB Plants. 2021 Sep 13;13(6):plab056. doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plab056. eCollection 2021 Dec.
Roots are central to the function of natural and agricultural ecosystems by driving plant acquisition of soil resources and influencing the carbon cycle. Root characteristics like length, diameter and volume are critical to measure to understand plant and soil functions. RhizoVision Explorer is an open-source software designed to enable researchers interested in roots by providing an easy-to-use interface, fast image processing and reliable measurements. The default broken roots mode is intended for roots sampled from pots and soil cores, washed and typically scanned on a flatbed scanner, and provides measurements like length, diameter and volume. The optional whole root mode for complete root systems or root crowns provides additional measurements such as angles, root depth and convex hull. Both modes support providing measurements grouped by defined diameter ranges, the inclusion of multiple regions of interest and batch analysis. RhizoVision Explorer was successfully validated against ground truth data using a new copper wire image set. In comparison, the current reference software, the commercial WinRhizo™, drastically underestimated volume when wires of different diameters were in the same image. Additionally, measurements were compared with WinRhizo™ and IJ_Rhizo using a simulated root image set, showing general agreement in software measurements, except for root volume. Finally, scanned root image sets acquired in different labs for the crop, herbaceous and tree species were used to compare results from RhizoVision Explorer with WinRhizo™. The two software showed general agreement, except that WinRhizo™ substantially underestimated root volume relative to RhizoVision Explorer. In the current context of rapidly growing interest in root science, RhizoVision Explorer intends to become a reference software, improve the overall accuracy and replicability of root trait measurements and provide a foundation for collaborative improvement and reliable access to all.
根系对于自然和农业生态系统的功能至关重要，它驱动植物获取土壤资源并影响碳循环。根的长度、直径和体积等特征对于理解植物和土壤功能的测量至关重要。RhizoVision Explorer是一款开源软件，旨在为对根系感兴趣的研究人员提供一个易于使用的界面、快速的图像处理和可靠的测量。默认的断根模式适用于从花盆和土芯中取样、清洗并通常在平板扫描仪上扫描的根系，可提供长度、直径和体积等测量值。用于完整根系或根冠的可选全根模式提供额外的测量值，如角度、根深度和凸包。两种模式都支持按定义的直径范围分组提供测量值、包含多个感兴趣区域以及批量分析。RhizoVision Explorer使用一组新的铜线图像成功地与地面真值数据进行了验证。相比之下，当前的参考软件商业版WinRhizo™在不同直径的线在同一图像中时，会大幅低估体积。此外，使用模拟根系图像集将测量结果与WinRhizo™和IJ_Rhizo进行了比较，结果表明除根体积外，软件测量结果总体一致。最后，使用在不同实验室获取的作物、草本和树种的扫描根系图像集来比较RhizoVision Explorer和WinRhizo™的结果。这两款软件总体一致，但相对于RhizoVision Explorer，WinRhizo™大幅低估了根体积。在当前对根系科学兴趣迅速增长的背景下，RhizoVision Explorer旨在成为一款参考软件，提高根系性状测量的整体准确性和可重复性，并为合作改进和所有人可靠获取提供基础。
