Shoot architectural analysis for olive cultivar characterization: an automatic internode measurement procedurent procedure

Abstract

Tree architecture, defined as the arrangement in space of the elements above the ground, is closely related to the biological and physiological processes of the tree. In particular, the quantitative study of the branch consists of classifying branches into orders, estimating lengths, insertion angles, diameters and volumes. In the case of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.), the knowledge of its architecture is important to determine which varieties are suitable for high-density planting systems and to guide canopy pruning, which allow simplification of field management and reduction of costs. Up to date, measurements are mainly done manually, using measuring tape and caliper, with high time expense and operator-related uncertainty. In this study, the analysis is extended to the three-dimensional case using photogrammetry. Next, the point cloud is processed using a modified version of the open-source code TreeQSM (version 2.4.1). Moreover, a new methodology, based on photogrammetry and branch segmentation using TreeQSM, is proposed to measure not only average branch diameter, but also node diameter and internodal distance along the principal axis of the twig point cloud. The main characteristics of the principal axis of the twig are obtained to prove the validity of the proposed method. The node average diameter is 2.94 mm with a standard deviation of 1.20 mm while the average internode is 14.38 mm with a standard deviation of 7.78 mm.

Plant phenotyping relevance

オリーブ樹の枝構造・節径・節間距離を、フォトグラメトリ、点群処理、TreeQSMによって自動抽出する植物表現型計測法を開発・検証しており、方法が研究の中心である。

Code and data availability

The paper describes photogrammetric acquisition of an olive branch point cloud and a modified TreeQSM-based internode measurement workflow, but no blocks contain a data or code availability statement, no authors' public repository/URL for their images, point clouds, MATLAB APC scripts, or analysis code is given. TreeQ

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