New advances in virtual plant research

Virtual plants are computer simulations of the growth, development and deployment of plants in a three-dimensional space. Over the past 20 years, significant progress has been made in virtual plant modeling corresponding to the rapid advances in information technology. Virtual plant research has broad applications in agronomy, forestry, ecology, and remote sensing areas. In this review, we attempt to introduce the significance, modeling methodology, and main advances in virtual plant research and applications. The challenges associated with virtual plant modeling in agronomy applications, including the interaction mechanism between plant and environment and root system modeling, are also discussed. Insights into applications of virtual plants in agronomy are given in the areas of performing virtual experiments to accurately quantify the utilization of soil water and nutrients, to design crop ideotype on computers, and to improve crop planting.