Deeper Look:Creators of phenotyping station seek investors

摘要

Researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis are leveraging expertise in crop phenotyping with the development of the PheNode, a "smart", farm-ready, solar-powered environmental sensor and phenotyping station for crops."With a suite of diverse sensors on the PheNode, we can continuously monitor field crops for growth rate, stem diameter, height, leaf shape, leaf angles, canopy closure, light interception and the relationship of these traits to enhanced canopy photosynthesis," says Nadia Shakoor, a research scientist in the Todd Mockler laboratory. "The PheNode willhelp crop science innovators to identify ideal canopy architectural and leaf metabolic features to breed crops for increased yield. We see a need for more sustainable crop production with minimal water and energy inputs, and a need to anticipate changing environmental conditions, like elevated C02 levels, that will affect farming."