Plant Phenotyping
Key technologies for plant breeding and functional genome analysis
Phenotyping means the quantitative analysis of plant structures and functions. After plant biology being dominated by molecular and genome research for decades, there is an increasing international acceptance for quantitative analyses of plant structure and function which play a key role in plant biology. Quantitative knowledge of structure and function enables the transfer of basic research findings to practical agriculture and ecological research. Phenotyping currently is the prime bottleneck to gain knowledge in function genome research.
The functional plant body (PHENOTYPE) is formed during plant growth and development from the dynamic interaction between the genetic background (GENOTYPE) and the physical world in which plants develop (ENVIRONMENT). These interactions determine plant performance and productivity measured as accumulated biomass and commercial yield and resource use efficiency.
The Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center (JPPC) at IBG-2 has a unique infrastructure especially for non-invasive methods in quantifying plant properties.
JPPC has competence in the development of novel measuring methods and long-term experience in applied plant phenotyping. Therefore, it takes an internationally leading role in characterizing crop and model plants in the context of basic research and ecology alike. Thus, improvement in plant phenotyping, pioneered by the IBG-2, is a key factor for success in modern breeding as well as for advancement in basic plant research This requires substantial and concerted action to integrate plant phenotyping community in national and international networks and to increase the capacity and availability of phenotyping infrastructures (DPPN, EPPN2020, IPPN, EMPHASIS).