From PhénoBlé to AirPhen : Field Phenotyping Technologies Take Off

Field phenotyping technologies are regularly cited as one of the new frontiers to accelerate genetic progress in plant breeding. Remote sensing specialists regrouped in Avignon, France have led successive research and development projects to create a number of new technological tools that allow canopy traits to be screened on large panels of genotypes. In this poster, we will present the successive generations of tools that have been created and tested to screen genotypes of diverse field crops for their response to different stresses. A first prototype based on reflectance measurements and RGB cameras was developed and tested to screen wheat genotypes for their response to nitrogen. This prototype was improved and automated, allowing higher throughput, and integrating LIDAR to access canopy architecture. This system has been tested and developed on wheat and maize response to drought via an autonomous vehicule, the Phenomobile, and a gurney mounted system on rails. Finally, the reflectance and camera based approach has been developped into a commercial system, coined AirPhen,vectored by UAV, that is the first of a series of dedicated field phenotyping systems proposed by a spin-off company, HiPhen. The AirPhen system has been tested on maize, wheat and sugar beet to screen for nitrogen, drought and disease response.