Collaborative Research: EAGER SitS: Automated Imaging Platform for In Situ Sensing and Analysis of Roots, Fungi, and Soil Solution Chemistry

合作研究：EAGER SitS：用于根部、真菌和土壤溶液化学原位传感和分析的自动成像平台

• 批准号: 1841336
• 负责人: Rebecca Neumann
• 金额: $ 10.95万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1841336&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; EAGER; SitS; Automated

Understanding how plant roots and soils interact is critical to proper management of global water, carbon, and nutrient cycles. Studying processes that occur below the soil surface, however is challenging. Getting the necessary information can be laborious and usually means disturbing the soil. Developing inexpensive methods to study soil without disturbing it is crucial for effective soil management. This project will develop a new soil sensor system that can automatically detect changes in roots and soil chemistry with little soil disturbance. This new sensor will use affordable, commercially available components, and will automatically collect and process data. The system will allow direct comparisons of root activity and soil chemistry, which is currently not possible in the field. Final designs and software will be made publicly available to help other scientists advance understanding of roots and soils. This project will also engage undergraduate students in research and data analysis.To develop the new sensor system, project researchers will modify and combine two existing technologies: minirhizotrons (clear plastic tubes installed in the soil that allow repeat imaging of plant roots) and planar optodes (two-dimensional optical sensors that fluoresce at varying intensities based on the dissolved concentration of the chosen analyte). Outside sections of standard acrylic minirhizotron tubes will be impregnated with chemical-sensitive dyes, enabling side-by-side imaging of roots and analyte concentrations along the length of the minirhizotron tube. Field application of minirhizotrons and planar optode technology is currently limited by the size and cost of imaging equipment and the cost of labor associated with image collection and analysis. The developed system will address these shortcomings by using 1) an automated camera system, built with off-the-shelf components, that will be small enough to fit in the inside of minirhizotron tubes and capable of imaging both roots and analyte concentrations, and 2) open-source software, developed by project researchers, to automatically collect, process, and analyze image data. The system (hardware and software) will be tested and refined based on performance in two contrasting environments, a remote thermokarst bog in Alaska and an easily accessible production agriculture field in Kansas.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解植物根和土壤的相互作用对于正确管理全球水，碳和营养周期至关重要。研究发生在土壤表面以下的过程，但是具有挑战性。获取必要的信息可能会很费力，通常意味着要干扰土壤。开发廉价研究土壤而不会干扰的方法对于有效的土壤管理至关重要。该项目将开发一个新的土壤传感器系统，该系统可以自动检测根和土壤化学的变化，而土壤障碍很少。该新传感器将使用负担得起的市售组件，并将自动收集和处理数据。该系统将允许直接比较根活动和土壤化学，目前在现场无法进行。最终的设计和软件将公开使用，以帮助其他科学家提高对根和土壤的了解。该项目还将吸引本科生参与研究和数据分析。为了开发新的传感器系统，项目研究人员将修改并结合两种现有技术：Minirhizotrons（安装在土壤中的透明塑料管，允许重复植物根部成像）和Planar Optodes （基于所选分析物的溶解浓度在不同强度下荧光的二维光学传感器）。标准丙烯酸小型管的外部部分将用化学敏感的染料浸渍，从而沿Minirhizotron Tube的长度沿着根和分析物浓度的并排成像。 Minirhizotrons和Planar Optode技术的现场应用目前受到成像设备的大小和成本以及与图像收集和分析相关的人工成本的限制。开发的系统将通过使用1）使用现成的组件构建的自动化相机系统来解决这些缺点，该系统将足够小，可以适合Minirhizotron管的内部，并能够对根和分析物的浓度进行成像，以及2个）由项目研究人员开发的开源软件，以自动收集，处理和分析图像数据。该系统（硬件和软件）将根据两个对比环境的性能进行测试和完善使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响评估标准进行评估。