Extended depth of focus image for phytolith analysis

This paper proposes a new phytolith analysis method by extended depth of focus technology. The extended depth of focus image is sharp throughout by the image processing of a series of photos, while each acquisition of the original photo will be compromised and show certain parts of the specimen in and out of focus. Consequently, the extended depth of focus image is suitable for computer-assisted morphometrics analysis. Meanwhile, the extended depth of focus image can be used for three-dimensional reconstruction images. Experiments on rice husk multi-cell panel show that the three-dimensional reconstruction image method can reconstruct multiple double-peaked phytoliths at one time. We also measure the parameters of multiple double-peaked phytoliths from the reconstructed three-dimension image. Comparative experiments show that the reconstructed three-dimensional image is precise enough for rice identification. Based on the above experiments, we recommend the extended depth of focus method as a promising tool in phytolith research.