Low-Cost Automated Vectors and Modular Environmental Sensors for Plant Phenotyping

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Robotics

Background:

• High-throughput plant phenotyping in controlled environments is often limited by the high cost and size of existing installations.
• There is a growing need for accessible and affordable phenotyping solutions in plant science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present two low-cost, robot-assisted systems for automated plant phenotyping under controlled conditions.
• To introduce an inexpensive sensor platform for environmental monitoring in growth chambers and glasshouses.

Main Methods:

• Development of two robot vectors using 3D-printed and readily available components: a thermal imaging robot for canopy analysis and a Plate Imager for root and shoot phenotyping.
• Integration of inexpensive sensors, microcontrollers, and internet-of-things (IoT) protocols for a low-cost environmental monitoring platform.

Main Results:

• The developed robot vectors are inexpensive, flexible, and adaptable for various phenotyping tasks.
• The systems facilitate high-precision time-lapse imaging of plant canopies and high-throughput analysis of roots and shoots.
• The sensor platform enables multi-position spatial and temporal monitoring of environmental conditions at low cost.

Conclusions:

• The presented affordable phenotyping solutions significantly enhance accessibility to automated plant analysis in controlled environments.
• These innovations support advanced plant research by enabling detailed monitoring of plant traits and environmental parameters.