PlantScreen Modular System
PlantScreenTM Modular System is integrated robotic solution for high-precission digital plant phenotyping and plant cultivation of mid-scale size up to large plants (e.g. corn, wheat) in greenhouse or semi-controlled environment. Single-pots are in transportation disks carried from cultivation area towards imaging units and irrigation stations. Digital data are acquired typically from top and multiple-angle side views.
The system can be integrated in existing greenhouse or semi-controlled environment. Single-pots are in transportation disks carried from cultivation area towards imaging units and irrigation stations. The inner disk format is modular providing flexibility of use with numerous different species, or with a single species throughout its growth cycle. Multi-sensoric digital data are acquired typically from top and side views.
The equipment is designed for plant cultivation and growth, plant management, automated movement, monitoring of environment parameters and plant randomization in the growth buffer. Area for manual loading of plants into the system is implemented which allows for manual loading and scoring of a subset of plants while automated scoring is in stand-by or waiting mode. This feature allows the user to test, analyse and score for a subset of plants while other plants are growing on the buffer and are scored in automated mode for example ones a day.
The configuration is optimized for semi-controlled environment and greenhouse applications and can be customized in terms of throughput and range of integrated digital sensors according to the research needs. PlantScreenTM Systems are complete phenotyping solutions used for plant handling and non-invasive comprehensive and reproducible assessment of various plant traits throughout the time.
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The platform may incorporate various modules for digital analysis of plant growth dynamics and physiological performance, an acclimatization chamber that may be used to equilibrate plants under controlled conditions, and a transportation system for automated delivery of plants to the imaging stations, manual handling zone and to irrigation and nutrient delivery units. Unique bar-code or RFID identifiers are used for plant identification. Plants are cultivated on the transportation buffer system and transported inside and between the cultivation area and rating area with adaptation tunnel and imaging units, and application area with automated weighing and watering stations. Manual handling zone is defined for plant manual management, sample handling, plant loading or treatment. The phenotyping system incorporates sensors for measurement of ambient conditions including temperature, relative humidity, PAR irradiance and spectral quality of the light.
A comprehensive PlantScreenTM Software package, with remote accessibility, is used to control all aspects of the transportation, irrigation and imaging modules, as well as for data acquisition, image analysis and data base configuration. The system is modular and designed so that additional features may be added as the user´s screening requirements evolve.
PlantScreenTM Modular System integrates light and dark adaptation tunnel for plant acclimation prior physiological phenotyping, which is key feature of our phenotyping platforms. Adaptation tunnel consists of multichannel LED´s with programmable interface for defining desired light regime and specral quality. The precise setting of light intensity is programmable in smooth steps, with the maxima of 2000 µmol.m-2.s-1. Adaptation tunnel is located upstream of the imaging stations. The tunnel is constructed as a light isolated box with double automatic light-tight entrance and exit doors. The adaptation tunnel is designed for both light and dark adaptation of the plants prior reaching the imaging stations. The adaptation tunnel may be designed to accommodate one, or several lines of plants to allow dark or light plant adaptation ranging from a few minutes to tens of minutes.
High-precission irrigation system is integral part of the system for programable delivery of both water and nutrients to the plants throughout growth and/or measurement cycles. Watering and nutrient delivery may be combined with automated weighing of plants in pots so that specific watering regimes may be programmed in software. These regimes may be used to impose drought stress or waterlogging of varying degrees of severity, imposed rapidly or gradually. Water application is gentle, without spillage or splashing of soil, and is adjustable for the different pot sizes. Schemes for watering to exact volume, relative volume or predefined weight can be pre-defined for single plants or groups of plants.
Furthermore comprehensive suite of environmental sensors (humidity, temperature, light intensity, light quality) is available for the PlantScreenTM Phenotyping Systems. The physiological parameters deduced from the measurements acquired by imaging units can be correlated with the environmental parameters acquired from a number of environmental sensors implemented within the phenotyping unit.
All acquired imaging, environmental and watering/weighing data are stored in an SQL database, processed and available for inspection and further analysis in range of seconds after recording via user-friendly graphical interface. PlantScreenTM Data Analyser provides tools for data browsing, grouping, analysis, user-defined reprocessing and export. Multiple clients can be connected to the database, with different privileges assigned based on a built-in authentication mechanism. An SMS and mail notification service is integral part of the complete phenotyping system. 24-hour online support service is key component of the PlantScreenTM phenotyping solution.
Key features of IT solution
All data acquired from imaging sensors are in raw format and processed format stored in an SQL database and are in range of minute after recording available for further analysis. All raw and processed data files are directly accessible and therefore can be easily analysed by user-defined processing scripts.
Range of non-invasive plant imaging technologies was developed for PlantScreenTM Phenotyping Systems to study different aspects of plant growth and physiological performance.
Sensors available for the PlantScreen™ Modular System are:
PlantScreenTM Phenotyping Systems designed for integrative phenotyping on temporal and spatial level are proven in a range of applications across the world:
Furthermore we make our state-of–art phenotyping facilities available for testing and proof-of-concept experiments. Contact us for more information.
We are proud that in our PSI Research Center we can provide service platform with professional support, where we can demonstrate our equipment and facilitate proof of concept validations of the projects prior realization. PSI Research Center provides service platform to scientific community for plant cultivation and image-based monitoring in controlled environment and in greenhouse. Our vision is to provide biological and technical support to our customers.
