Nitrogen is a key nutrient in plants, but nitrogen fertiliser is expensive and causes environmental problems. Therefore, breeders look for crops that produce adequate yield while using less nitrogen. Using advanced CRISPR/Cas9 technology, researchers aim at breeding for Sorghum that has lower fertiliser demand compared to current varieties. The molecular breeding work is complemented by state-of-the art phenotyping of the breeding lines at the Nebraska Innovation Campus’ Greenhouse Innovation Center equipped with a LemnaTec Scanalyzer. This phenotyping system combines irrigation control by weighing and watering, and recording of environmental conditions with infrared-, fluorescence-, visible light-, near-infrared-, and hyperspectral imaging of all plants. These sensors deliver detailed phenotypic data on growth and development, responses to stress and environment, and resource use. This data reveals beneficial traits that researchers use to accelerate successful breeding outcomes.

source: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/researchers-aim-to-reduce-nitrogen-fertilizer-use/