LAMINA: a tool for rapid quantification of leaf size and shape parameters

Area of Science:

• Botany
• Paleontology
• Biofuels research

Background:

• Leaf area development is crucial for biomass productivity in crops and understanding paleoclimate history.
• Accurate phenotypic measurement of large leaf collections is essential for reliable scientific conclusions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automated tool for analyzing leaf shape and area from images.
• To provide accurate measurements of leaf dimensions, asymmetry, serration, and herbivory damage.

Main Methods:

• Development of LAMINA (Leaf shApe deterMINAtion) software for automated image analysis.
• LAMINA provides classical leaf shape and size indicators, asymmetry measures, serration traits, and herbivory damage quantification.
• Optional return of boundary coordinates for Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

Main Results:

• LAMINA enables automated or semi-automated analysis of leaf area in large datasets.
• The software accurately quantifies leaf blade dimensions, area, asymmetry, serration, and missing leaf area due to herbivory.
• Demonstrated utility on 500 scanned images of Populus tremula and other species.

Conclusions:

• LAMINA offers an efficient and accurate method for analyzing leaf area in extensive datasets.
• The tool supports research in areas such as biomass productivity and paleoclimate reconstruction.
• Validated on diverse leaf samples, confirming its broad applicability.