Four reasons why breeders need digital phenotypic data
Documentation: digital images keep hold of the current state of the plants while a quoted visual impression captured by an operator is perishing and impossible to reconstruct.
Standardization: Rating operators are well trained, of course, and the breeder’s eye never is fully replaced by any technology. Nevertheless, digital phenotyping improves standardization of rating processes, as the technology works independently of persons, working duration, or working conditions.
Throughput: allocating routine tasks to digital technology enables the breeders to focus on those parts of the work that require their expert knowledge while the fatiguing uniform ratings are done by the phenotyping technology. Result visualization, statistics, and report generation are performed at your fingertip. Thus, more samples can be worked off per time.
Data quality: digital technology can give access to data aspects that are not obvious in human rating. For instance, if an operator counts objects, digital phenotyping combines the counting with measuring in one working step. You not only know how many objects are present, but also how large they are.
How can digital phenotyping technology become part of the breeders’ toolbox?
Digital technology has evolved from plant research activities, and many large-scale installations, e.g. Field Scanalyzers or PhenoAIxpert HT Systems are known as high throughput phenotyping flagship facilities used at international research institutes around the globe
Such comprehensive solutions substantially contribute to breeding research by taking the broad expertise gathered in these general purpose installations, and transform the relevant competencies into solutions optimized to the specific application. For applications in breeding practice, LemnaTec now also provides application-oriented products that can assist the breeders in various tasks like documenting plant samples, growth and preformance studies, pest and disease assessments, or seed and seedling quality tests.
Whether you are a breeder or a member of a research institute, contact us to discuss your phenotyping requirements.
See also our application cases.