Towards root phenotyping in situ using THz imaging

Root growth and development are critical for plant survival and productivity. While systems have been developed to automate the process of extracting root traits using 2D and 3D imaging under controlled conditions, to date, no systems exist that can non-destructively and repeatedly provide high-quality information on roots of field-grown plants. At the same time, Terahertz (THz) imaging is becoming a valuable tool in many areas, including medicine, pharmacology, security, etc. and has the potential for non-destructive, repeated imaging of root systems growing in pot and eventually field conditions. In this paper, we present a framework for investigating root growth and function of plants by analyzing and classifying THz data. The proposed system can successfully identify organic materials from potting soil or sand using both THz transmitted and reflected signals.