Fig. 2.

Schematic diagram of the process and data flow in RSAtrace3D. In the segmentation process, CT images are processed using root segmentation software to make root-segmented images. In vectorization process, the root images are imported as a 3D volume image. Besides, operators indicate where the roots are by registering the nodes, which are interpolated and smoothly connected to make a vector. The vectorized data are exportable as rinfo files (JSON format). In the calculation process, root- and RSA-related traits are calculated using the vectorized data