We present preliminary summaries from a research effort to plant systems biology investigation using multi-modality imaging and analysis technologies. Both X-ray and neutron radiopgraphy and computed tomography have been used to image Poplus plants as a step towards understanding and eventually building models for plant growth and response. For imaging applications, X-rays and neutron are quite complimentary in terms of their scattering by plant materials, so they reveal different characteristics that are relevant to understanding the plant system. X-rays are scattered and absorbed by electrons in the material, while neutrons interact with the nuclei of the atoms in the material, so they provide very different, but complementary information for the same materials and structures. Using existing X-ray and neutron imaging capabilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), initial plant imaging experiments have been performed, and those results are presented. A vision for future integration of the X-ray and neutron image data is presented, along with the potential advantages of this approach in terms of discovering new aspects of plant system biology.
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