The use of x-ray computed tomography for creating computational models of corn stalks and other plants: advantages, benefits, and common challenges.

X-ray computed tomography (CT scanning) is a powerful tool for evaluating plant tissue, and is commonly applied in the field of biomechanics to obtain 3D representations of bone, arteries, and other anatomical data.  We have applied this technique to the development of computational models of corn stalks and bamboo culms.  While CT scanning has many advantages, the process of creating parsimonious models based on CT data is often challenging since this technique often produces several gigabytes of data for each scan.  This paper provides an overview of the advantages, benefits, and common challenges associated with the use of computed tomography in plant modeling in the context of modeling corn stalks.