title: A portable fluorescence spectroscopy imaging system for automated root phenotyping in soil cores in the field.
abstract: Root architecture traits are a target for pre-breeders. Incorporation of root architecture traits into new cultivars requires phenotyping. It is attractive to rapidly and directly phenotype root architecture in the field, avoiding laboratory studies that may not translate to the field. A combination of soil coring with a hydraulic push press and manual core-break counting can directly phenotype root architecture traits of depth and distribution in the field through to grain development, but large teams of people are required and labour costs are high with this method. We developed a portable fluorescence imaging system (BlueBox) to automate root counting in soil cores with image analysis software directly in the field. The lighting system was optimized to produce high-contrast images of roots emerging from soil cores. The correlation of the measurements with the root length density of the soil cores exceeded the correlation achieved by human operator measurements (R (2)=0.68 versus 0.57, respectively). A BlueBox-equipped team processed 4.3 cores/hour/person, compared with 3.7 cores/hour/person for the manual method. The portable, automated in-field root architecture phenotyping system was 16% more labour efficient, 19% more accurate, and 12% cheaper than manual conventional coring, and presents an opportunity to directly phenotype root architecture in the field as part of pre-breeding programs. The platform has wide possibilities to capture more information about root health and other root traits in the field.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Agriculture, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia anton.wasson@csiro.au.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wasson
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Agriculture, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bischof
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Data61, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Alec
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zwart
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Agriculture, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Plant Sciences, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watt
mesh_terms: D001901:Botany / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010641:Phenotype; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Automated; crops; fluorescence; imaging; phenotyping; pre-breeding; productivity; roots; soil; spectroscopy.
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