2-D and 3-D images combine to accurately predict plant growth

In Russia, a group of scientists from the Space Center and the Center for Data-Intensive Science and Engineering at Skoltech have developed a method for predicting an increase in plant biomass using 2-D and 3-D images.

As the first step, they collected statistics by measuring plant growth in an artificial soilless system using a 3-D camera and established a relationship between the increase in the total biomass and the expansion of the total surface area of the leaves. Then they captured the increase in the total leaf area using a 2-D camera and built a dynamic plant growth model based on these measurements.

The key distinguishing feature of the new method is that the data are collected using both 3-D and 2-D cameras ‒ an approach that obviates the need for time-consuming multi-parameter calculations. The leaf area and plant biomass data, coupled with an efficient mathematical model, produce accurate results.