Construction of a Three-Dimensional Dynamic Model of the Rice Root System Using the Improved CRootBox Model and the Parametric L-System

Highlights Improve the RootBox model and introduce the parameter L-system. Introduction of an angle parameter to control the direction of root growth. Simulate the dynamic change process of root system diameter. Evaluate and analyze the model from different perspectives. Abstract. The rice root is an important organ for absorbing nutrients and water, and its growth directly affects rice development. Because the soil is opaque, obtaining root data is difficult, and observation is blocked. Three-dimensional modeling and visualization can provide an intuitive and effective method for studying rice root growth. In this article, a three-dimensional dynamic model DRoots of rice root system based on the improved RootBox model and parametric L-system is proposed using the rice root system of the YHSM variety as the research object. DRoots was integrated with the morphological features of the rice root system to identify suitable growth functions for both length and diameter. The root system’s growth direction is then constrained by its growth characteristics, and generative rules based on the parametric L-system are proposed and implemented in MATLAB. The DRoots model simulates rice root growth across different growth stages and combines this with its evaluation indices to analyze and evaluate the simulated values of various root system parameters against actual values. The findings suggest that the DRoots model can effectively simulate rice root growth, providing a reference for three-dimensional root modeling in other crops and for the development of smart agriculture. Keywords: CRootBox model, Parametric l-system, Rice root structure, Three-dimensional dynamic modelling.