In general tracking refers to the action of following an object/feature over time and space. Here tracking refers to the action of following the path, tracked over time, by a recognizable part of the observed root system, the root tips.

ARTT was developed to study movements of maize roots, but can be used for a wide range of applications and for the study of kinematics in different plant species.

ARTT detects and extracts information about root tips in a sequence of images and provides a few statistical features about the track followed by the tips. Estracted features are mainly kinematic features, such as position, and velocity. Moreover the orientation of the root tips is provided.

ARTT allows to work with no markers and to autonomously deal with new emerging root tips, as well as to handle a massive amount of data relying on minimum user interaction.

The acquired data are provided in tabular or graphical form, helping to immediately and easily focus on the data of interest.

The tools is not suited to investigate fenotipical responses, but rather kinematic alterations in root growth.

 

ARTT is freely downloadable from here.

Your are free to use it for your research purposes with the only clause to cite the original paper:
"A Novel Tracking Tool for Analysis of Plant Root Tip Movements" (DOI:10.1088/1748-3182/8/2/025004).