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Whole-Plant Manual and Image-Based Phenotyping in Controlled Environments
Erica Agnew1, Adam Bray1, Eric Floro1
1Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri.
Current Protocols in Plant Biology
|November 15, 2019
Summary
This study presents an image-based phenotyping protocol for comparing maize varieties grown in greenhouses. The method quantizes root and shoot traits, aiding crop improvement strategies.
Area of Science:
- Plant science
- Agricultural science
- Genetics
Background:
- Controlled-environment agriculture enables detailed plant phenotyping.
- Comparing diverse crop varieties is crucial for breeding programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail an image-based protocol for root and shoot phenotyping in greenhouse-grown maize.
- To enable comparison of phenotypic traits among different maize lines for crop improvement.
Main Methods:
- Maize lines were grown in treepots with clay granule substrate under controlled greenhouse conditions.
- Plants were harvested at 4, 6, and 8 weeks for developmental data.
- Image analysis was employed to measure leaf surface area, tassel size, and 3D root architecture complexity.
Main Results:
- The protocol captures whole-plant phenotypes including biomass, ontogeny, architecture, and leaf photosynthetic efficiency.
- Quantitative data on leaf area, tassel size, and root shape variance were extracted.
- The framework demonstrated extensibility to various above- and below-ground phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- Image-based phenotyping provides a robust method for comparing plant varieties.
- This protocol facilitates efficient data acquisition for genetic improvement of crops.
- The extensible framework supports diverse morphological and physiological trait analysis.