The only system of its type in the world, PlantScan was designed and built by CSIRO scientists and trans-Tasman system integration solutions company, Neo Vista System Integrators (NVSI).

PlantScan captures information on plant structure and function on an industrial scale to enable the discovery of new traits and the selection of varieties that are better suited to challenging growing environments.

Dr Xavier Sirault, from CSIRO Plant Industry said PlantScan has broken new barriers for modernising plant breeding efforts.

'Currently, there is a gap between plant scientists’ capacities to measure biological processes at the molecular or genetic level (genomics) and the functional whole-plant level (phenomics).'

'Genomics is providing a huge amount of data that is retrieved using high-throughput technologies but our ability to measure functionality, such as water use and photosynthesis, at the whole-plant level has lagged behind.'

'By providing an integrated system with a range of imaging sensors, PlantScan helps restore this balance by increasing researchers’ capacities to precisely and accurately quantify the biological processes involved in the development and functioning of plants with greater detail, frequency and objectivity than traditional methods.'

PlantScan adds to the suite of technologies being developed at the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre (HRPPC) – a national facility based at CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra. The Centre provides researchers with access to a suite of unique, purpose-built phenotyping technologies, including field equipment such as the ‘Phenomobile’ and a blimp.

See more amazing phenomics technology at The High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre.

Read other articles from the CSIRO Plant Industry newsletter.