Quantitative Description and Classification of Growing Media Particle Morphology through Dynamic Image Analysis
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
I suggest including the image of (a) wood fiber medium, (b) Irish white peat, (c) Composted pine bark, and (d) Coir, maybe at a particle length of 5000 um in this paper to benefit readers on how you value the shape descriptors.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you for taking the time to review our work and for your comments to improve it.
Please find attached our cover letter and individual responses to each comment. Yours is for "reviewer 1". We hope to have responded to your comments accordingly.
Sincerely,
S. Durand, B.E. Jackson, W.C. Fonteno, and J.C. Michel
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
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The abstract is adequate. However, it would be better if some introduction and problem statement will be added at the beginning of the abstract and ended with a holistic conclusion of the work.
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The scope of work in this paper was very relevant to the research problem that was intended to be conducted. The study's objectives were also very specific and relevant to the scope of work. The literature review was generally acceptable, comprehensive, reliable and relevant to the title covering aspects of the research issues. However, almost 70 % references are out dated.
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All the scientific principles, experimental set up, analytical methods were clearly described to achieve the proposed objective. Overall, this section has been written well and accepted. |
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The results and discussion appropriately described and were well written, organized, sectioned, and reported objectively. The tables and figures were well organized and explained. Comment and Suggestion: Provide standard errors in Tables to indicate the error of uncertainty in measurement and show how good a statistical fit the data.
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I was hoping that some more real conclusions could be made in the conclusions. In a research paper, a vision can or should be presented, and here is a good place for this.
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Add more new references from the AGRICULTURE journal. Authors should check their own article …Durand et al., 2022…..standardize the format of writing the reference. This paper is not published yet.
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Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you for taking the time to review our work and for your comments to improve it.
Please find attached our Cover letter and the individual response to each comment. Yours correspond to "reviewer 2". We hope to have responded to your comments accordingly.
Sincerely,
S. Durand, B.E. Jackson, W.C. Fonteno, and J.C. Michel
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
This work employs dynamic image analysis to decide the particle shape descriptors of growing mediums. The correlation among several particle shapes is dependent on the particle length. A classification had been proposed for growing medium to quantify the particle shape. The results obtained in this work maybe useful for the understanding the particle deposition and rearrangement of growing medium. However, some sections are still required to be improved to meet the publication standard of “Agriculture” journal.
1. Please add the figures of tested growing medium such as wood and coir fibers.
2. When the particle shape indexes are determined for each type of growing medium, how much the total particle number is selected for analysis?
3. In Fig.2, the explanation label is intersected with the axis, please revise it.
4. The method employed by authors to identify the particle morphology is two-dimensional index. It is quite different from the actual three-dimensional particle shape of growing medium. Please add some comments on this issue.
5. The conclusion sections are quite general, please highlight the true findings of this work.
6. Some important pervious work on particle shape is missed, it is suggested to be added in revision. Besides, the particle shape descriptors are recommended to be correlated with some deposition index or physical index.
Y. Wu, J. Cui, J. Huang, W. Zhang, N. Yoshimoto, L. Wen, Correlation of critical state strength properties with particle shape and surface fractal dimension of clinker ash, International Journal of Geomechanics-ASCE, 2021, 21 (6), 04021071.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you for taking the time to review our work and for your comments to improve it.
Please find attached our Cover letter and the individual response to each comment. Yours correspond to "reviewer 3". We hope to have responded to your comments accordingly.
Sincerely,
S. Durand, B.E. Jackson, W.C. Fonteno, and J.C. Michel
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
It is revised based on comments. It can be accepted now.
