Mathematical Modelling and Simulation Algorithms for Plant Growth (Above and Belowground) from Contactless Images

Dear Colleagues,

Studying the growth and development of plants will help us better understand the associated biological mechanisms and determine plants’ aerial and root morphometric parameters.

Doing so means that we can select the best phenotypes/genotypes, helping us respond to pressing agroecological problematics, including, but not limited to, pesticides reduction, water stress, and nitrogen stress.

Even if aerial information is generally easy to find by using images and remote sensing technologies, understanding the processes centered around the roots is more complicated. Indeed, it is difficult to visualize the temporal growth of a plant without removing it from its pot. Using rhizotubes systems is, therefore, fundamental to acquiring temporal data.

The acquired images are treated by computer algorithms at different growth stages. However, there is still a disconnect between the results of these algorithms and the measurements obtained manually. Therefore, simulating root growth using computer-generated images appears to be the right tool to test and validate the quality of the algorithms, facilitating the faster and more precise detection of root parameters.

Aim of the Special Issue and how the subject relates to the journal scope:

• To dynamically track root growth, nodule growth, and location, and to use this to assess roots’ morphometric parameters.
• To validate the algorithms and the ACV of the algorithms.
• To model the behavior of plants.
• To facilitate the interaction between aerail and root data.
• To develop new algorithms for image processing.
• To combine remote sensing and proximal sensing technologies.

• Aerial and/or root image simulation and data fusion.
• Comparison of theoretical and practical (ground truth) results.
• Systems of root visualization.
• Geometric reconstruction of roots and aerial parts of the plants.
• Root image processing and pattern recognition. 

Dr. Jean-Claude Simon
Dr. Frédéric Cointault
Guest Editors

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• simulation
• root and aerial plant architectures
• geometric reconstruction
• computer science
• mathematical modelling
• image processing and pattern recognition