Handheld Multifunctional Fluorescence Imager for Non-invasive Plant Phenotyping

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Biology
• Biophotonics

Background:

• Current fluorescence imaging systems for plant analysis are often bulky, expensive, and require contact measurements.
• These limitations restrict their widespread application, particularly in controlled environments like indoor vertical farms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact, handheld fluorescence imager for multipurpose plant phenotyping.
• To enable non-invasive monitoring of plant physiological status and biochemical composition.

Main Methods:

• Development of a compact imager integrating pulse-amplitude-modulated multi-color LEDs, optimized optics, a driver circuit, and a miniaturized CCD camera.
• Image analytics software for data processing and interpretation.
• Application in drought-stressed lettuce for photosynthetic activity assessment and anthocyanin quantification in Batavia lettuce.

Main Results:

• The imager quantitatively assessed plant stress in drought-affected lettuce through non-invasive measurement of photosynthetic efficiency.
• Achieved excellent correlation (>84%) between non-invasive anthocyanin quantification and conventional destructive biochemical analysis.
• Demonstrated high-throughput monitoring capabilities and multifunctionality.

Conclusions:

• The developed handheld fluorescence imager overcomes limitations of existing systems, offering a versatile tool for plant phenotyping.
• Its non-invasive, efficient, and multifunctional nature holds significant promise for advancing precision agriculture and indoor farming.