Abstract
High-throughput plant phenotyping in controlled environments (growth chambers and glasshouses) is often delivered via large, expensive installations, leading to limited access and the increased relevance of “affordable phenotyping” solutions. We present two robot vectors for automated plant phenotyping under controlled conditions. Using 3D-printed components and readily-available hardware and electronic components, these designs are inexpensive, flexible and easily modified to multiple tasks. We present a design for a thermal imaging robot for high-precision time-lapse imaging of canopies and a Plate Imager for high-throughput phenotyping of roots and shoots of plants grown on media plates. Phenotyping in controlled conditions requires multi-position spatial and temporal monitoring of environmental conditions. We also present a low-cost sensor platform for environmental monitoring based on inexpensive sensors, microcontrollers and internet-of-things (IoT) protocols.
Highlights
Plant phenotyping—the assessment of complex plant traits and quantification of parameters underlying those traits [1,2,3]—is a rapidly developing transdiscipline of vital importance when addressing issues of global food security [4,5].High-throughput phenotyping in controlled environments is often delivered via large, expensive installations, leading to limited access and an increased relevance of “affordable phenotyping” solutions [6,7]
We present a low-cost sensor platform for Sensors 2020, 20, 3319; doi:10.3390/s20113319
We have developed for the platform a simple administration app, written in C# and using WPF libraries, to provide an administration interface for effective, secure, off-line administration
Summary
Plant phenotyping—the assessment of complex plant traits (architecture, growth, development, physiology, yield, etc.) and quantification of parameters underlying those traits [1,2,3]—is a rapidly developing transdiscipline of vital importance when addressing issues of global food security [4,5]. The availability of low-cost microcontrollers and automation components developed for the Maker community, combined with the ease of fabrication of 3D-printed parts allows low-cost, flexible phenotyping vector platforms to be designed for more widespread adoption [8]. We present two robotic vectors that carry sensors for plant phenotyping under controlled conditions—a linear actuator to position a thermal camera and a plate imaging robot designed to carry an RGB camera to image plate-grown plants such as the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Sensors 2020, 19, x FOR PEER REVIEW monitoring environmental conditions over a range of phenotyping setups based on inexpensive sensors, monitoring environmental conditions over a range of phenotyping setups based on inexpensive microcontrollers and internet-of-things (IoT) protocols.
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