Connecting the dots between computational tools to analyse soil-root water relations

Abstract

In the recent years, many computational tools, such as image analysis, data management, processbased simulation and upscaling tools, were developed to help quantify and understand water flow in the soilroot system, at multiple scales (tissue, organ, plant and population). Several of these tools work together or, at least, are compatible. However, for the uninformed researcher, they might seem disconnected, forming a unclear and disorganised succession of tools.In this article, we present how different pieces of work can be further developed by connecting them to analyse soilrootwater relations in a comprehensive and structured network. This "explicit network of soilroot computational tools" informs the reader about existing tools and help them understand how their data (past and future) might fit within the network. We also demonstrate the novel possibilities of scaleconsistent parameterizations made possible by the network with a set of case studies from the literature. Finally, we discuss existing gaps in the network and how we can move forward to fill them.. CC-BY 4.0 International license It is made available under a was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/312918 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online May. 9, 2018; Passot, Couvreur, Meunier et al. 2018 Tools for the analysis of water relations Preprint HighlightsMany computational tools exist to quantify water flow in the soilroot system. These tools can be arranged in a comprehensive network that can be leveraged to better interpret experimental data. KeywordsComputational tools, image analysis, simulation, network, root, soil, water was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/312918 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online May. 9, 2018; Passot, Couvreur, Meunier et al. 2018 Tools for the analysis of water relations Preprint Glossary TermDefinition Reference Standard Uptake FractionRelative distribution of root water uptake between root segments when water is equally available in space (units: %)[1]High pressure flow meter Device designed to measure the root system conductance by perfusing pressurized water into a root system opposite from the natural direction of the transpiration stream[2]Root pressure probe Device designed to measure the hydraulic conductance of a single root through variations of water pressure and flow at the cut end of a root [3] Cell pressure probe Device designed to measure the hydraulic conductivity of the membranes of a single plant cell by observing the relaxation time of water pressure pulses applied to the cell Upscaled property System property that is an output of the model, at a higher scale than the input parameters. For instance, the root radial conductivity is an upscaled property of models of root organ water f...

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