description
- Using X-ray micro computed tomography, I aim at developing computational methods that allow the recovery of information on soil-root and root-root interactions from time series data, looking at root growth patterns and soil deformation over time. The main focus of the project is the development of image analysis methods to process the large CT volumes. I want to exploit the correlation between time-ordered samples to improve the reliability and robustness of extracting root material and to gain knowledge about temporal changes at the soil and root interface, and thus to learn more about root responses to environmental signals. By using information across samples, I hope to detect roots that are generally difficult to see and thus to overcome many of the current limitations. The main objectives of the proposed research are to: 1) Exploit time-series to use the coherence in information across time-ordered samples in the recovery of root systems from X-ray CT image data, and to quantify dynamic root growth parameters of soil grown plants. 2) Extract key features in X-ray CT image data of the soil matrix to identify both small- and large-scale movements over time, and relate how soil structure influences root growth and development. 3) Use time-series data to resolve ambiguities in root labelling of multiple and interacting plants, and define dynamic and interactive traits to describe resource competition among neighbouring plants. The project is tied to a biological experiment, in which I will use developed methods to look at the root system interactions between winter wheat and black-grass. In preliminary experiments the wheat variety Edgar has shown enhanced tolerance to black-grass as compared to other winter wheat varieties. I will use developed image analysis methods to assess the impact of planting density on root system development of wheat. In addition I will use developed techniques to sample data of winter wheat in disturbed and undisturbed soils, to examine the effects of soil structure on the development of root systems and the overall plant.