scholarly journals Opportunities and limits of controlled-environment plant phenotyping for climate response traits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Langstroff ◽  
Marc C. Heuermann ◽  
Andreas Stahl ◽  
Astrid Junker
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Climate Response ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Response Traits

AbstractRising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns will affect agricultural production substantially, exposing crops to extended and more intense periods of stress. Therefore, breeding of varieties adapted to the constantly changing conditions is pivotal to enable a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate crop production despite the negative effects of climate change. As it is not yet possible to select for adaptation to future climate scenarios in the field, simulations of future conditions in controlled-environment (CE) phenotyping facilities contribute to the understanding of the plant response to special stress conditions and help breeders to select ideal genotypes which cope with future conditions. CE phenotyping facilities enable the collection of traits that are not easy to measure under field conditions and the assessment of a plant‘s phenotype under repeatable, clearly defined environmental conditions using automated, non-invasive, high-throughput methods. However, extrapolation and translation of results obtained under controlled environments to field environments is ambiguous. This review outlines the opportunities and challenges of phenotyping approaches under controlled environments complementary to conventional field trials. It gives an overview on general principles and introduces existing phenotyping facilities that take up the challenge of obtaining reliable and robust phenotypic data on climate response traits to support breeding of climate-adapted crops.

scholarly journals Root phenotypes of young wheat plants grown in controlled environments show inconsistent correlation with mature root traits in the field

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (16) ◽  
pp. 4751-4762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M Rich ◽  
Jack Christopher ◽  
Richard Richards ◽  
Michelle Watt
Keyword(s):  
Plant Development ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Nodal Root ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Root Types ◽  
Mature Root

Abstract Using a field to lab approach, mature deep-rooting traits in wheat were correlated to root phenotypes measured on young plants from controlled conditions. Mature deep-rooting root traits of 20 wheat genotypes at maturity were established via coring in three field trials across 2 years. Field traits were correlated to phenotypes expressed by the 20 genotypes after growth in four commonly used lab screens: (i) soil tubes for root emergence, elongation, length, and branching at four ages to 34 days after sowing (DAS); (ii) paper pouches 7 DAS and (iii) agar chambers for primary root (PR) number and angles at 8 DAS; and (iv) soil baskets for PR and nodal root (NR) number and angle at 42 DAS. Correlations between lab and field root traits (r2=0.45–0.73) were highly inconsistent, with many traits uncorrelated and no one lab phenotype correlating similarly across three field experiments. Phenotypes most positively associated with deep field roots were: longest PR and NR axiles from the soil tube screen at 20 DAS; and narrow PR angle and wide NR angle from soil baskets at 42 DAS. Paper and agar PR angles were positively and significantly correlated to each other, but only wide outer PRs in the paper screen correlated positively to shallower field root traits. NR phenotypes in soil baskets were not predicted by PR phenotypes in any screen, suggesting independent developmental controls and value in measuring both root types in lab screens. Strong temporal and edaphic effects on mature root traits, and a lack of understanding of root trait changes during plant development, are major challenges in creating controlled-environment root screens for mature root traits in the field.

scholarly journals History of Controlled Environment Horticulture: Indoor Farming and Its Key Technologies

HortScience ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
Cary A. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Specialty Crops ◽  
Specialty Crop ◽  
History Of ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Basic And Applied Research ◽  
Experimental Findings

The most recent platform for protected horticultural crop production, with the shortest history to date, is located entirely indoors, lacking even the benefit of free, natural sunlight. Although this may not sound offhand like a good idea for commercial specialty-crop production, the concept of indoor controlled-environment plant growth started originally for the benefit of researchers—to systematically investigate effects of specific environmental factors on plant growth and development in isolation from environmental factors varying in uncontrolled ways that would confound or change experimental findings. In addition to its value for basic and applied research, it soon was discovered that providing nonlimiting plant-growth environments greatly enhanced crop yield and enabled manipulation of plant development in ways that were never previously possible. As supporting technology for indoor crop production has improved in capability and efficiency, energy requirements have declined substantially for growing crops through entire production cycles in completely controlled environments, and this combination has spawned a new sector of the controlled-environment crop-production industry. This article chronicles the evolution of events, enabling technologies, and entrepreneurial efforts that have brought local, year-round indoor crop production to the forefront of public visibility and the threshold of profitability for a growing number of specialty crops in locations with seasonal climates.

Influence of NPK fertilization on weed flora in maize field

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Lehoczky ◽  
M. Kamuti ◽  
N. Mazsu ◽  
J. Tamás ◽  
D. Sáringer-Kenyeres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Nutrition ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Production Factors ◽  
Maize Field ◽  
Weed Flora ◽  
Npk Fertilization

Plant nutrition is one of the most important intensification factors of crop production. The utilization of nutrients, however, may be modified by a number of production factors, including weed presence. Thus, the knowledge of occurring weed species, their abundance, nutrient and water uptake is extremely important to establish an appropriate basis for the evaluation of their risks or negative effects on crops. That is why investigations were carried out in a long-term fertilization experiment on the influence of different nutrient supplies (Ø, PK, NK, NPK) on weed flora in maize field.The weed surveys recorded similar diversity on the experimental area: the species of A. artemisiifolia, S. halepense and D. stramonium were dominant, but C. album and C. hybridum were also common. These species and H. annuus were the most abundant weeds.Based on the totalized and average data of all treatments, density followed the same tendency in the experimental years. It was the highest in the PK treated and untreated plots, and significantly exceeded the values of NK fertilized areas. Presumably the better N availability promoted the development of nitrophilic weeds, while the mortality of other small species increased.Winter wheat and maize forecrops had no visible influence on the diversity and the intensity of weediness. On the contrary, there were consistent differences in the density of certain weed species in accordance to the applied nutrients. A. artemisiifolia was present in the largest number in the untreated control and PK fertilized plots. The density of S. halepense and H. annuus was also significantly higher in the control areas. The number of their individuals was smaller in those plots where N containing fertilizers were used. Contrary to them, the density of D. stramonium, C. album and C. hybridum was the highest in the NPK treatments.

scholarly journals Revisiting Sulphur—The Once Neglected Nutrient: It’s Roles in Plant Growth, Metabolism, Stress Tolerance and Crop Production

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 626
Author(s):  
Tinashe Zenda ◽  
Songtao Liu ◽  
Anyi Dong ◽  
Huijun Duan
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Sulphur Nutrition ◽  
Physiological Processes

Sulphur plays crucial roles in plant growth and development, with its functions ranging from being a structural constituent of macro-biomolecules to modulating several physiological processes and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In spite of these numerous sulphur roles being well acknowledged, agriculture has paid scant regard for sulphur nutrition, until only recently. Serious problems related to soil sulphur deficiencies have emerged and the intensification of food, fiber, and animal production is escalating to feed the ever-increasing human population. In the wake of huge demand for high quality cereal and vegetable diets, sulphur can play a key role in augmenting the production, productivity, and quality of crops. Additionally, in light of the emerging problems of soil fertility exhaustion and climate change-exacerbated environmental stresses, sulphur assumes special importance in crop production, particularly under intensively cropped areas. Here, citing several relevant examples, we highlight, in addition to its plant biological and metabolism functions, how sulphur can significantly enhance crop productivity and quality, as well as acclimation to abiotic stresses. By this appraisal, we also aim to stimulate readers interests in crop sulphur research by providing priorities for future pursuance, including bettering our understanding of the molecular processes and dynamics of sulphur availability and utilization in plants, dissecting the role of soil rhizospherical microbes in plant sulphur transformations, enhancing plant phenotyping and diagnosis for nutrient deficiencies, and matching site-specific crop sulphur demands with fertilizer amendments in order to reduce nutrient use inefficiencies in both crop and livestock production systems. This will facilitate the proper utilization of sulphur in crop production and eventually enhance sustainable and environmentally friend food production.

scholarly journals Stress and the costs of extra-territorial movement in a social carnivore

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J Young ◽  
Steven L Monfort
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Delayed Dispersal ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Related Distribution ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Animal Societies ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

Costs associated with extra-territorial movement are believed to have favoured the evolution of delayed dispersal and sociality across a range of social vertebrates, but remain surprisingly poorly understood. Here we reveal a novel mechanism that may contribute substantially to the costs of extra-territorial movement: physiological stress. We show that subordinate male meerkats, Suricata suricatta , exhibit markedly elevated faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels (a non-invasive measure of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity) while conducting extra-territorial prospecting forays. While brief increases in glucocorticoid levels are unlikely to be costly, chronic elevations, arising from prolonged and/or frequent forays, are expected to compromise fitness through their diverse negative effects on health. Our findings strongly suggest that prolonged extra-territorial movements do result in chronic stress, as the high glucocorticoid levels of prospectors do not diminish on longer forays and are no lower among males with greater prospecting experience. A generalized ‘stress’ of extra-territorial movement may therefore have strengthened selection for delayed dispersal and sociality in this and other species, and favoured the conduct of brief forays over extended periods of floating. Our findings have implications too for understanding the rank-related distribution of physiological stress in animal societies, as extra-territorial movements are often conducted solely by subordinates.

Interactive effect of biochar and plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes on ameliorating salinity stress in maize

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saqib Saleem Akhtar ◽  
Mathias Neumann Andersen ◽  
Muhammad Naveed ◽  
Zahir Ahmad Zahir ◽  
Fulai Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Salinity Stress ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Nutrient Balance ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting ◽  
Growth Promoting ◽  
Salt Affected Soils

The objective of this work was to study the interactive effect of biochar and plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase and exopolysaccharide activity on mitigating salinity stress in maize (Zea mays L.). The plants were grown in a greenhouse under controlled conditions, and were subjected to separate or combined treatments of biochar (0% and 5%, w/w) and two endophytic bacterial strains (Burkholderia phytofirmans (PsJN) and Enterobacter sp. (FD17)) and salinity stress. The results indicated that salinity significantly decreased the growth of maize, whereas both biochar and inoculation mitigated the negative effects of salinity on maize performance either by decreasing the xylem Na+ concentration ([Na+]xylem) uptake or by maintaining nutrient balance within the plant, especially when the two treatments were applied in combination. Moreover, in biochar-amended saline soil, strain FD17 performed significantly better than did PsJN in reducing [Na+]xylem. Our results suggested that inoculation of plants with endophytic baterial strains along with biochar amendment could be an effective approach for sustaining crop production in salt-affected soils.

scholarly journals Phenotyping plants: genes, phenes and machines

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Pieruschka ◽  
Hendrik Poorter
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Major Progress ◽  
Meaningful Data

No matter how fascinating the discoveries in the field of molecular biology are, in the end it is the phenotype that matters. In this paper we pay attention to various aspects of plant phenotyping. The challenges to unravel the relationship between genotype and phenotype are discussed, as well as the case where ‘plants do not have a phenotype’. More emphasis has to be placed on automation to match the increased output in the molecular sciences with analysis of relevant traits under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. Currently, non-destructive measurements with cameras are becoming widely used to assess plant structural properties, but a wider range of non-invasive approaches and evaluation tools has to be developed to combine physiologically meaningful data with structural information of plants. Another field requiring major progress is the handling and processing of data. A better e-infrastructure will enable easier establishment of links between phenotypic traits and genetic data. In the final part of this paper we briefly introduce the range of contributions that form the core of a special issue of this journal on plant phenotyping.

Plot size matters: interference from intergenotypic competition in plant phenotyping studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg J. Rebetzke ◽  
Ralph (Tony) A. Fischer ◽  
Anthony F. van Herwaarden ◽  
Dave G. Bonnett ◽  
Karine Chenu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Traits ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Canopy Development ◽  
Plot Size ◽  
Field Assessment ◽  
Intergenotypic Competition ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Competition For Resources ◽  
Commercial Field

Genetic and physiological studies often comprise genotypes diverse in vigour, size and flowering time. This can make the phenotyping of complex traits challenging, particularly those associated with canopy development, biomass and yield, as the environment of one genotype can be influenced by a neighbouring genotype. Limited seed and space may encourage field assessment in single, spaced rows or in small, unbordered plots, whereas the convenience of a controlled environment or greenhouse makes pot studies tempting. However, the relevance of such growing conditions to commercial field-grown crops is unclear and often doubtful. Competition for water, light and nutrients necessary for canopy growth will be variable where immediate neighbours are genetically different, particularly under stress conditions, where competition for resources and influence on productivity is greatest. Small hills and rod-rows maximise the potential for intergenotypic competition that is not relevant to a crop’s performance in monocultures. Response to resource availability will typically vary among diverse genotypes to alter genotype ranking and reduce heritability for all growth-related traits, with the possible exception of harvest index. Validation of pot experiments to performance in canopies in the field is essential, whereas the planting of multirow plots and the simple exclusion of plot borders at harvest will increase experimental precision and confidence in genotype performance in target environments.

scholarly journals Recombinant inbred lines derived from cultivars of pea for understanding the genetic basis of variation in breeders' traits

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 424-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Moreau ◽  
Maggie Knox ◽  
Lynda Turner ◽  
Tracey Rayner ◽  
Jane Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Inbred ◽  
Seed Weight ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Recombinant Inbred Lines ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Genetic Maps ◽  
Genotypic Differences ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Randomized Field Trials

AbstractIn order to gain an understanding of the genetic basis of traits of interest to breeders, the pea varieties Brutus, Enigma and Kahuna were selected, based on measures of their phenotypic and genotypic differences, for the construction of recombinant inbred populations. Reciprocal crosses were carried out for each of the three pairs, and over 200 F2 seeds from each cross advanced to F13. Bulked F7 seeds were used to generate F8–F11 bulks, which were grown in triplicated plots within randomized field trials and used to collect phenotypic data, including seed weight and yield traits, over a number of growing seasons. Genetic maps were constructed from the F6 generation to support the analysis of qualitative and quantitative traits and have led to the identification of four major genetic loci involved in seed weight determination and at least one major locus responsible for variation in yield. Three of the seed weight loci, at least one of which has not been described previously, were associated with the marrowfat seed phenotype. For some of the loci identified, candidate genes have been identified. The F13 single seed descent lines are available as a germplasm resource for the legume and pulse crop communities.

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