A 3D Imaging Method for in-situ non-destructive roots monitoring
A 3D Imaging Method for in-situ non-destructive roots monitoring
Root architecture is commonly represented by the root area ratio, to be experimentally acquired at different depths from the ground table, generally from direct observations. However, roots imaging systems are rapidly developing in several scientific fields linked to the study of the soil-vegetation interaction. In the context of an extensive experimental study aimed at evaluating the role of vegetation in a debris flows source area, the paper presents an experimental method for non-destructive, in-situ monitoring of roots properties and architecture. The results of a preliminary simplified laboratory setup are firstly presented and discussed. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) techniques are then applied to reconstruct a dense 3D point cloud of the observed scene. After filtering the point cloud based on colour and shape to isolate separate roots, morphological features such as length and thickness are extracted and quantified. Repeating the acquisition over time enables continuous monitoring of roots development, spatial evolution and growth dynamics.
Raffaella Brigante; Laura Marconi; Andrea Lepri; Alessandro Fraccica; M. Cecconi
3rd International Workshop on Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Interaction (RootS2025)
2a. Experimental laboratory characterisation of the multiscale bio-hydro-chemo-mechanical behaviour of rooted soils
https://doi.org/10.53243/RootS2025-49
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