Interactive Simulation in the Field of Plant Nutrition
This US-Israel Bi-national Agricultural Research and Development (BARD)
Foundation project involves hypotheses testing and result evaluation, using
an interactive graphic model. SimRoot, a 3D model developed at Penn State,
graphically describes the 3D deployment of plant root systems in soil. The
model follows plant development and will predict the performance of plants
under various environmental conditions, depending on their physiological
characteristics.
Results are displayed graphically in 3D dynamic images that can be rotated
by the viewer. This type of work was limited until now to users working at
the console or on local area networks. This application will require
high-speed computer communication to allow real-time responses between
Israel and the US. If successful, a whole new area of applications in
cooperative ecological and physiological research and teaching will evolve
