PlantScreenTM Self-Contained (SC) Systems are complete stand-alone robotic solutions for automated plant phenotyping. They may be deployed in controlled environment rooms or in the greenhouse. Units are available for:
- RGB and Morphometric Analysis
- 3D Scanning by Laser Scattering
- Kinetic Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging
- Hyperspectral Analysis (VNIR, SWIR or both)
- Thermal Imaging
All units have appropriate illumination sources and are housed in cabinets for light standardization, isolation and plant adaptation.
The PlantScreenTM SC System is designed for digital phenotyping of small and mid-sized plants up to 50 cm in height (Arabidopsis, Strawberries, Turf grass, Soybean, Tobacco, Corn seedlings,etc.) and can be configured for single pots or multiple pots on trays. Plants may be grown in vitro or in soil. Plants in trays are manually placed inside the light-isolated imaging cabinet and analyzed automatically in user-defined conditions and over user-defined intervals. Multi-sensor data are typically acquired from the top view, but side imaging may also be configured, as appropriate. Unique bar-code and RFID identifiers are used for plant identification.
Data Acquisition and Analysis
All data acquired from imaging sensors are stored in raw format as well as processed format in an SQL database. Data are available within minutes of acquisition for display, observation and analysis. All raw and processed data files are directly accessible and can be manipulated by user-defined processing scripts.
A comprehensive PlantScreenTM Software package, with remote accessibility, is used to control all aspects of the imaging modules, as well as for data acquisition, image analysis and data base configuration.
A suite of environmental sensors (humidity, temperature, light intensity, light quality) can be supplied with the PlantScreenTM SC System. So that meta-data can be stored and analyzed with the data acquired from the phenotyping unit.
A Comprehensive software package has been developed for system control, data acquisition, image analysis and database configuration. An intuitive graphical interface is used to control all hardware components actions, to control and monitor environmental conditions and to design experiments. A high-end industrial PC with touch screen is used for system control. Scheduling Assistant software with calendar functions allows the running of multiple experiments simultaneously. It also provides different modes for plant randomization, application of different experimental protocols per plant or group of plants, as well as plant handling regimes including dark/light adaptation and watering or nutrient delivery schemes.
All imaging data, as well as environmental and watering/weighing data, are stored in an SQL database, and are processed and available for inspection and analysis within seconds of acquisition. All raw and processed data can be analyzed easily by user-defined processing scripts.
PlantScreenTM Data Analyser software provides tools for data browsing, grouping, analysis, user-defined data reprocessing and export. Multiple clients can be connected to the database simultaneously, with different privileges assigned based on a built-in authentication mechanism. SMS and mail notification service is an integral part of the complete phenotyping system with 24-hour online support.
Key IT Features
- Comprehensive software package for system control, data acquisition, image analysis and data base configuration
- Plant Randomization
- Species-specific analysis
- Open database structure
- Remote access
- Automatic SMS and email notification service
- 24-hour online support service
- On-line environmental monitoring
In the search for beneficial traits that may allow crops to resist abiotic and biotic stresses, fast and accurate methods are required for efficient and effective plant high-throughput phenotyping. Such methods must involve automated measurements of plant morphology, biochemistry and physiology to determine potential and actual yield under a variety of monitored environmental conditions. With over 20 years’ experience of designing instrumentation for plant imaging Qubit Phenomics with its partners, are now at the forefront of providing complete solutions for automated multidimensional plant phenotyping.
- High-throughput screening
- Morphology and growth assessment
- Nutrient management
- Photosynthetic performance
- Abiotic stress
- Pathogen interaction
- Trait identification
- Chemical screening
- Nutrient effects
