High-throughput quantification of root growth

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe and discuss our experience of developing high-throughput imaging systems within the Centre for Plant Integrative Biology (CPIB), at the University of Nottingham. After an introductory literature review, a description of the development of robot imaging hardware for high-throughput digital imaging of Arabidopsis thaliana roots inside a growth room is presented. This is followed by a description of the imaging software and techniques that have been developed to analyse such images. The intention of the chapter is to provide an unfamiliar reader with a practical overview of the subject, from the perspective of a team of engineers and computer scientists who have worked together to produce a high-throughput imaging system in active use by plant biologists.