Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, inaugurated the high throughput Plant Phenomics facility at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hessaraghatta, Bengaluru.
The Phenomics facility gives the non-invasive and non-destructive digital imaging and dynamic monitoring of the crop genotypes under challenging environmental conditions.
The facility has the imaging unit consisting of visual, near infra-red and infra-red cameras which capture images of the plants that subjected to abiotic stresses like limited and excess moisture stresses and high temperature during various stages of plant growth.
The conveyor system of the facility allows the movement of carts carrying plants to the imaging unit and back to the appended climate controlled greenhouses. The final output from the visible images helps the researchers to quantify various growth and physiological traits like leaf area, biomass, plant height /width, chlorophyll content, growth rates etc.
Infrared images assist in identifying temperature differences in a plant canopy, between genotypes and at different stages after stress imposition. Near infrared images, help to quantify the water content and distribution within a plant at various stages of plant growth.