2025 Ecosystem Transformation 8 (4), 205-214

Automated data collection in acute and chronic phytotests

Sheromov A.M., Olkova A.S.  , Tovstik Е.V.

The purpose of this work was to develop a phytobioassay algorithm including the automated
measurement of plant morphometric parameters and primary data processing using the ImageJ software.
The objects of the study were pictures of 7-day Trifolium pratense L. clover seedlings exposed to shortterm (7 days) copper chloride solutions (5, 10 and 15 mg/L in terms of copper (II) ions) and pictures of the subflag leaf of Hordeum vulgare L. barley grown in soil contaminated with cadmium (19.2 ± 1.5 mg/kg) for 60 days. The experiments were performed in 3 replicates with n = 20. An algorithm for working with the pictures, including such steps as dividing a photo into color channels and image segmentation up
to excluding 5% of extreme sample values, was proposed. In acute tests on T. pratense, the standard
deviation (SD) made up 5–11% when measuring the length of roots and 3–7% for sprouts. In chronic
experiments on H. vulgare, SD for linear parameters (leaf length and width) fluctuated from 11 to 21% and reached 33% for the leaf area. Conclusions were made about the suitability of the proposed algorithm for assessing acute phytotoxicity and the need to refine the methodological and statistical aspects of chronic phytotests. The main advantages of phytobioassay with data collection and processing in ImageJ are the possibility of delayed measurements of phytoobjects from a photo and assessment of
the parameters of geometrically complex objects.

A. M. Sheromov
Vyatka State University
ul. Moskovskaya 36, Kirov, 610000 Russia


A. S. Olkova
Vyatka State University
ul. Moskovskaya 36, Kirov, 610000 Russia

morgan-abend@mail.ru

E. V. Tovstik
Vyatka State University
Moskovskaya 36, Kirov, 610000 Russia

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