GiA Roots has a GUI front end and a command-line interface for interweaving the software into large-scale workflows. Quantitative information on each phenotype, along with intermediate steps for full reproducibility, is returned to the end-user for downstream analysis. GiA Roots includes user-assisted algorithms to distinguish root from background and a fully automated pipeline that extracts dozens of root system phenotypes. We have developed GiA Roots (General Image Analysis of Roots), a semi-automated software tool designed specifically for the high-throughput analysis of root system images. Software tools are needed to accelerate the pace at which quantitative traits of RSA are estimated from images of root networks.
Identifying RSA-associated genes also represents an underexplored opportunity for crop improvement.
Characterizing root system architecture (RSA) is essential to understanding the development and function of vascular plants.
