Participation of INRIA & Pl@ntNet to ImageCLEF 2011 plant images classification task

International audienceThis paper presents the participation of INRIA IMEDIA group and the Pl@ntNet project to ImageCLEF 2011 plant identification task. ImageCLEF's plant identification task provides a testbed for the system-oriented evaluation of tree species identification based on leaf images. The aim is to investigate image retrieval approaches in the context of crowdsourced images of leaves collected in a collaborative manner. IMEDIA submitted two runs to this task and obtained the best evaluation score for two of the three image categories addressed within the benchmark. The paper presents the two approaches employed, and provides an analysis of the obtained evaluation results

Plant Leaf Image Detection Method Using a Midpoint Circle Algorithm for Shape-Based Feature Extraction

Shape-based feature extraction in content-based image retrieval is an important research area at present. An algorithm is presented, based on shape features, to enhance the set of features useful in a leaf identification system

Mycorrhizas and biomass crops: opportunities for future sustainable development

Central to soil health and plant productivity in natural ecosystems are in situ soil microbial communities, of which mycorrhizal fungi are an integral component, regulating nutrient transfer between plants and the surrounding soil via extensive mycelial networks. Such networks are supported by plant-derived carbon and are likely to be enhanced under coppiced biomass plantations, a forestry practice that has been highlighted recently as a viable means of providing an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels, with potentially favourable consequences for carbon mitigation. Here, we explore ways in which biomass forestry, in conjunction with mycorrhizal fungi, can offer a more holistic approach to addressing several topical environmental issues, including ‘carbon-neutral’ energy, ecologically sustainable land management and CO2 sequestration