Title
SoilCam: A Fully Automated Minirhizotron using Multispectral Imaging for Root Activity Monitoring.
Abstract
A minirhizotron is an in situ root imaging system that captures components of root system architecture dynamics over time. Commercial minirhizotrons are expensive, limited to white-light imaging, and often need human intervention. The implementation of a minirhizotron needs to be low cost, automated, and customizable to be effective and widely adopted. We present a newly designed root imaging system called SoilCam that addresses the above mentioned limitations. The imaging system is multi-modal, i.e., it supports both conventional white-light and multispectral imaging, with fully automated operations for long-term in-situ monitoring using wireless control and access. The system is capable of taking 360 degrees images covering the entire area surrounding the tube. The image sensor can be customized depending on the spectral imaging requirements. The maximum achievable image quality of the system is 8 MP (Mega Pixel)/picture, which is equivalent to a 2500 DPI (dots per inch) image resolution. The length of time in the field can be extended with a rechargeable battery and solar panel connectivity. Offline image-processing software, with several image enhancement algorithms to eliminate motion blur and geometric distortion and to reconstruct the 360 degrees panoramic view, is also presented. The system is tested in the field by imaging canola roots to show the performance advantages over commercial systems.
Year
DOI
Venue
2020
10.3390/s20030787
SENSORS
Keywords
Field
DocType
minirhizotron,root imaging,plant phenotyping,multispectral imaging
Computer vision,Spectral imaging,Image sensor,Multispectral image,Motion blur,Image quality,Electronic engineering,Artificial intelligence,Pixel,Engineering,Image resolution,Distortion
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
20
3
1424-8220
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
0
Authors
7
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Gazi Rahman100.34
Hanif Sohag200.34
Rakibul Chowdhury300.34
Khan A. Wahid432738.08
Anh Van Dinh54618.32
Melissa Arcand600.34
Sally Vail713.06