【Objective】 Cynodon dactylon is a commonly used herbaceous plant for ecological greening, soil consolidation and slope protection, vegetation restoration, and soil and water conservation. Its developed root system network and unique growth characteristics have a significant impact on the formation and spatial reorganization of soil pores. Current research has mostly focused on the role of the plant’s roots in soil aggregate formation and stability, however, the dynamic impact of root growth on soil pores remains unclear. 【Method】 This study employed a pot experiment, selecting Cynodon dactylon as the model plant and typical purple soil and yellow soil from the mountainous and hilly regions of southwestern China as the culture substrates. Four different treatments were established: purple soil with Cynodon dactylon (G), purple soil control (CK), yellow soil with Cynodon dactylon (YG), and yellow soil control (YCK). The soil profile images under different treatments were continuously collected using the minirhizotron technique. The root traits of Cynodon dactylon and soil pore structure parameters at different stages were quantified through optimized root extraction algorithms and image processing techniques. Combined with statistical analysis, the study explored the dynamic growth of Cynodon dactylon roots and their impacts on the evolution of soil pore structure. 【Result】 The results showed that: (1) Cynodon dactylon grew well in both purple and yellow soils, and the root growth rate was higher in purple soil than in yellow soil. The root length, root surface area, and root volume of Cynodon dactylon in purple soil were nearly three times higher than those under yellow soil cultivation conditions; (2) Compared with the unplanted CK and YCK, the growth of Cynodon dactylon significantly reduced the number of pores, porosity, and fractal dimension of purple and yellow soils, and the reduction effect of roots on soil pores continuously increased with root growth; (3) Redundancy analysis indicated that roots explained 40.60% of the variation in soil pore structure, and root length, root surface area, and root volume were the key root traits that reduced soil pore structure parameters. 【Conclusion】 In summary, through the optimized minirhizotron technique, continuous observation of plant roots and soil pores was achieved on site. It was found that Cynodon dactylon significantly reduced pore number and other parameters during its growth period, providing methodological support for in-situ, non-destructive, and dynamic studies on root-pore interactions, as well as theoretical support for vegetation restoration and soil and water conservation in ecologically fragile areas.