Agronomy, Crop, and Soil Science

From the CEO

Given Qubit’s long history in providing research equipment to agronomists and soil scientists, it would be a cardinal sin if we were not to exhibit at the annual ASA, CSSA and SSSA meeting in St. Louis. After all, our analysers for plant science were the gateway into a range of Qubit products across the biological sciences, and our overarching goal is always to provide the best quality at the lowest price. So, whether you study Busches, crops, soil or the environment, please stop by Booth #923 from October 29th to November 1st. Miss us and you’ll be singing the blues. We promise you fertile ground for ideas, not a wasteland (5% off our product line if you email me the derivation of that last pun).

Dr. Steve Hunt, President and CEO.

Using the SR1LP, soil respiration is measured as the rate of CO2 accumulation in situ in a chamber placed over an area of the soil in the field. Alternatively, soil samples may be brought to the lab, and CO2 production measured in a flow-through soil chamber. Soil temperature and water loss from the soil are also measured.  Data are displayed, recorded, and manipulated on a PC or Macintosh computer using our Loggerpro software. Other applications for Q-Box SR1LP package include measurement of CO2 exchange from any organism or sample maintained in a flow-through chamber. The SR1LP can also be used to monitor respiration or fermentation in aqueous suspensions when air or N2 is bubbled through the suspension, and the outflow gas is analyzed. Provided that CO2 production rates are in the correct range, the package can be used to measure CO2 production of virtually any biological system. Learn more HERE

The SR1LP starts at $13,000 USD.

Like the SR1LP Soil Respirometry Package described above, the CO650 Plant CO2 Analysis Package is among Qubit’s unique Q-Box range of products, incorporating modular components integrated into a compact gas exchange system. The CO650 is designed for measurements of photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration in leaves placed in a temperature-controlled flow-through leaf chamber. Whole plants may also be monitored in customized chambers. The CO650 Package may be used in both the lab and field (with optional battery pack).  The Q-Box CO650 software automatically checks the reference levels of CO2 and water vapour and provides on-the-go calculations of photosynthesis and transpiration rates. Learn more HERE. 

 The CO650 starts at $17,800 USD.

Qubit Systems produces the only complete experimental package for the measurement of nitrogen fixation in H2 producing legume symbioses – the Q-Box NF1LP Nitrogen Fixation Package. The unique flow-through H2 sensor (Q-S121) measures the production rate of H2 from N2-fixing tissues, allowingnon-invasive in vivo measurement of nitrogenase activity in real-time. In addition, the package includes a Q-S151 CO2 Analyzer (0-2000ppm range) for measurements of nodulated root respiration, or respiration from other plant tissues.  The package contains everything required for successful experiments, including gas exchange pots for growing legumes such as soybean under nodule-producing conditions, nutrient recipes, and instructions. When combined with Qubit’s Gas Switching System measurements of nitrogenase activity in up to 3 plants is possible (4 channel system including reference).

The NF1LP starts at $13,100 USD.

If you are looking for a compact, field-portable analyser to measure specific gases, or a combination of gases, we provide rugged instruments in weatherproof cases that can be deployed in the lab or the field. Each of our S128 range of methane analysers, and our S157 to S159 range of O2, CO2 and O2/CO2 analysers, is housed in a temperature-controlled case to minimize drift, and can be supplied with an integrated pump and mass flow monitor, if required. You may select from units that operate across various gas concentration ranges, depending on your application. For more on Qubit’s gas analysers, gas control units and gas mixing equipment click HERE.

The S128 starts at $6,785 USD.

The S157-S159 series starts at $5,700 USD

Qubit’s reflectance box (ROX) is an automated field spectroscopy device capable of collecting unattended, continuous, long-term hyperspectral measurements of solar radiance, reflected radiance and reflectance. Its robustness and flexibility make the ROX suitable for numerous applications including vegetation monitoring (vegetation indices such as NDVI, PRI etc.), and monitoring water quality, snow and ice. Our FLOX Box is a self-contained dual hyperspectral system for monitoring long and short-term fluctuations in Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) for direct, non-invasive remote-sensing of photosynthetic activity and its dynamics at the leaf, canopy, ecosystem, and global scale. SIF may be used to monitor changes in plant responses to environmental factors that may affect growth and yield, including temperature, water and nutrient availability, the effects of herbicides and pesticides, pollution, herbivory, plant pathogens and other abiotic and biotic stresses. The FLOX represents the most advanced system available for SIF measurements in agriculture, forestry and other remote locations. Both the ROX and FLOX may be deployed on a tower, or carried manually into the field. They are each compatible with Licor Eddy Covariance Systems.

Via our partners, Qubit Systems provides the most extensive range of plant phenotyping equipment available. Our imaging systems for shoots include:

• Chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics imaging.
• RGB and morphometric imaging.
• Hyperspectral imaging (VNIR and SWIR).
• Multispectral imaging.
• Thermal imaging.
• Laser scattering 3D reconstruction.

Our systems can be used in the laboratory, growth room, greenhouse and field, with footprints for a diverse array of spaces. Conveyor-based (plant-to-imager) and robotic (imager-to-plant) can be installed depending on the application. Each of our conveyor-based and robotic systems can be installed in greenhouses and growth rooms designed and built by our partners specifically for phenotyping applications. We also offer systems for root screening, including the unique Rhizotube system that allows 100% of the root to be imaged. For more on our phenotyping technology, click HERE

Plantarray is a high-throughput, multi-sensor gravimetric platform designed and built by PlantDitech of Israel. The system performs rapid and automated plant screening of physiological traits that are indicators for yield potential, with proven correlation to yield measurements in the field. Used on its own, and especially when combined with overhead imaging systems for shoot phenotyping, Plantarray provides an integrated picture of root and shoot processes, water use efficiency, effects of nutrient regimes, effects of soil pollution, and allows tracking of the onset and progression of stress. Please visit the Qubit booth (#923) at the ASA Conference in St. Louis for more on this unique system.

Qubit Systems offers various hand-held instruments for hyperspectral measurements from plants and algae. Plant Pens that measure reflectance of light from leaves at various wavelengths are used to calculate various indexes such as NDVI, NDGI, and PRI, and have wide applications in plant stress screening and trait assessment. Pens are available to measure each parameter individually, whereas our PolyPens capture the entire reflectance spectrum from a sample over a specific wavelength range, so that numerous reflectance indices may be calculated automatically. In addition, our line of FluorPens measures chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics, including quenching analysis and OJIP, using PAM technology. Automated functions include protocols for sequential measurements, and light response curves. All plantpens and fluorpens have extensive onboard memory, as well as downloadable date, and may be provided with GPS and a PAR sensor as accessories.
For more on Plantpens, click HERE. For more on FluorPens click HERE

Please visit the Qubit exhibit at our upcoming conferences to learn more about Qubit’s instrumentation.

ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting  St. Louis, Missouri. Oct 29 to Nov 1, 2023.

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting San Francisco, California, December 11 – 15, 2023.

Society for Integrated and Comparative Biology. Seattle, WA, Jan 2-6, 2024

Plant and Animal Genome Conference. San Diego, California, January 12-17, 2024,