University of Florida

Studying Plant Roots, the Soil Surrounding Roots, and Their Interaction in Realistic Environments Over Time Is Challenging. One of the Most Successful Methods to Do So Is Using Minirhizotron Tubes. These Are Clear Plastic Tubes Inserted Into the Ground. Then, Cameras Placed in the Tube Can Take Photographs of the Soil and Roots That Happen to Grow Alongside the Tube Over Time. Minirhizotron Tubes Have Been Very Successful in Scientific Studies to Understand Temporal Root Properties. However, They Are Expensive, Tedious to Use, and Only Collect Standard Color Imagery. in This Effort, We Will Build Hyperspectral Cameras (which Also Collect Information Outside of the Visible Range Collected by Standard Color Cameras) That Will Be Inexpensive, Have an Automated Mechanism to Move Up and Down the Tubes, and Are Paired With Automated Algorithms to Process and Understand the Collected Data. the Project Will Open Doors for Understanding Plant Roots and Their Interaction With the Soil Surrounding Them Beyond Our Capabilities Today.