Application Cases

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping, Physiological Phenotyping, Stress and Disease Phenotyping

Chlorophyll Fluorescence serves as measure for the status and activity of the photosystem II. Analyzing images of chlorophyll fluorescence delivers photosynthesis-related data at whole-plant level. Measurements provide basic and maximum fluorescence of dark (F0, Fm) or light (F, Fm') adapted plants. These factors serve to calculate parameters such as Fv/Fm, NPQ, ETR and more. In phenotyping, such analyses are used to rate the physiological status of plants and to figure out the effects of stress, diseases, or environmental factors.

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping, Physiological Phenotyping, Stress and Disease Phenotyping

Vegetation indices can be calculated from multispectral or hyperspectral measurements. A vegetation index is calculated from the spectral reflectance of a plant sample at two or more wavelengths. Such indices serve to characterize developmental or physiological properties of the plants. For instance, greenness indices relate to chlorophyll abundance, pigment-related indices refer to e.g., anthocyanin or carotenoids, or stress-related indices are responsive to biotic and abiotic stress factors. Dozens of indices are reported in the literature, and it is possible to establish customized indices, too.

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping

Arabidopsis phenotyping aims at measuring phenotypic properties of Arabidopsis shoots, i.e., the rosettes. Typically plants are grown in trays, and individual plants are placed in regular patterns, for instance in rows and columns. The analysis delivers data per plant. Once time series of such trays are taken, growth and development can be monitored. Data comprise rosette area, rosette morphology, e.g., compactness, or surface colors. Arabidopsis phenotyping is carried out in various application ranges in plant science, for instance in studies on gene functions, in plant-environment assessments, or to rate treatment effects.

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping, Root Phenotyping, Seed- and Seedling Phenotyping (Seed Testing)

Phenotyping of germinating seedlings comprises assessments of germination tests on moist paper. The core scope is to determinate the germination rate, but measurements on seedling phenotypes, and the temporal development of seedlingd delivers further data. This can be used to rate seedling quality and viability. Seed germination phenotyping is a typical task in seed laboratories, for instance at seed breeding companies, gene banks, or in seed testing facilities.

Category: Root Phenotyping

Root phenotyping - usually combined with shoot phenotyping - of plants grown in rhizotrons combines an access to the root system with a soil-based cultivation. It enables monitoring root growth, root system properties, and detemining the root density in soil layers. Analytical factors comprise root length, root system width and depth, root branching, root growth direction, root curvature, or root density per soil layers. Root phenotyping serves in genotype-phenotype studies, or in the assessment of plant responses to environmental factors. Root phenotypes are important in plant breeding, particularly for breeding plants adapted to harsh climatic conditions.

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping, Stress and Disease Phenotyping

Color phenotyping delivers information about the plant surface and the colors. In particular, greenness is informative on chlorophyll abundance. Colors can also indicate stress, such as yellowing or browning that relates to wilting. Moreover, many pathogen infections are linked to characteristical colors. In combination with data on morphology of the plants, color data provide an insight in the developmental status. They can be used in genotype-phenotype studies as well as in the assessment of environmental influences or treatments.

Category: Leaf- and Shoot Phenotyping, Stress and Disease Phenotyping

Multiview phenotyping serves to determine plant dimensions and structure. Viewing the plants from multiple angles delivers comprehensive information on the structure and morphology of the plant. Data can be used to determine digital biomass. In time series, the method can serve to determine growth and development. The method not only serves to address the impact of environmental factors on plant development, but it is also applied to analyze the genetic control of growth and development.