The Rapid Anatomics Tool (RAT): A low-cost root anatomical phenotyping platform reveals changes in root anatomy along the root axis

Jones, Dylan H.;Baca Cabrera, Juan C.;Behrend, Dominik;Wells, Darren M.;Schneider, Hannah M.;et.al.
(2025) Plant Phenomics — p. 100150 (2025)

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Authors
  • Jones, Dylan H.orcid-logoLeibniz Institute of Plant Genetics & Crop Plant Research (IPK) OT Gatersleben, Corrensstrasse 3, 06466 Seeland, Germany
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  • Baca Cabrera, Juan C.Institute of Bio- and Geoscience, Agrosphere (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Str., 52428 Juelich, Germany
    Author
  • Behrend, DominikInstitute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) – Crop Science Group, University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany
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  • Wells, Darren M.School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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  • Lobet, Guillaumeorcid-logoUCLouvain
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  • Schneider, Hannah M.orcid-logoLeibniz Institute of Plant Genetics & Crop Plant Research (IPK) OT Gatersleben, Corrensstrasse 3, 06466 Seeland, Germany
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Abstract
Root anatomical phenotyping has become a demonstrably essential part of investigating root physiology and in acquiring a holistic understanding of plant development. However, accessible high throughput methods for root anatomical analysis are still lacking. Here, we present the Rapid Anatomics Tool (RAT), a novel, low-cost platform for high throughput root anatomical imaging with a shallow learning curve for obtaining high quality images suitable for comparative analysis across a number of plant species. Its efficiency comes from combining blockface-like imaging and stain-free imaging using near-ultraviolet (nUV) autofluorescence utilising a combination of low-cost commercial equipment, readily available mechanical components, and custom designed and 3D printed tools. Using this platform, we investigated the anatomy of mature tissue along the axis of wheat crown roots, revealing a tendency of reduction in vascular complexity (expressed through a reduction in metaxylem number, area, and mean area per metaxylem file) from the basal to the distal region of the root. This study highlights the importance of thorough sampling strategies for investigating root anatomy in relation to organ function and introduces an accessible, relatively high-throughput platform to support such research.
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Jones, D. H., Baca Cabrera, J. C., Behrend, D., Wells, D. M., Swift, J. F., Atkinson, J. A., Schön, M., Lobet, G., Hanlon, M. T., & Schneider, H. M. (2025). The Rapid Anatomics Tool (RAT): A low-cost root anatomical phenotyping platform reveals changes in root anatomy along the root axis. Plant Phenomics, 100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphe.2025.100150 (Original work published 2025)