Advances in field-based high-throughput photosynthetic phenotyping

Area of Science:

• Plant Physiology
• Photosynthesis Research
• High-Throughput Phenotyping

Background:

• Gas exchange techniques are the gold standard for measuring plant photosynthesis but are not suitable for high-throughput phenotyping (HTP).
• Remote sensing offers potential for HTP of photosynthesis at finer scales, expanding beyond ecosystem productivity assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline key photosynthetic phenotypes relevant to plant science.
• To describe advances in HTP techniques for characterizing photosynthesis in field experiments and breeding trials.
• To present lessons learned from proximal/remote sensing applications in HTP of photosynthesis.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on gas exchange and remote sensing techniques for plant photosynthesis.
• Analysis of advances in sensor technology and statistical methods for HTP.
• Synthesis of six lessons learned from proximal/remote sensing applications.

Main Results:

• Identification of essential photosynthetic phenotypes for HTP.
• Description of how remote sensing advances enable finer spatial scale measurements.
• Presentation of practical lessons learned from developing and applying HTP sensing methods.

Conclusions:

• Remote sensing and proximal sensing offer promising avenues for HTP of photosynthesis.
• Continued development in sensor technology and statistical analysis is crucial for overcoming current limitations.
• Opportunities exist for integrating these HTP methods into plant breeding and field research.