IJPB / Observatoire du végétal - Phenoscope

The Phenoscope is a high-throughput phenotyping tool dedicated to the cultivation and observation of hundreds of plants, grown in individual pots. It is typically used to monitor the vegetative growth of a large number of genotypes under different watering regimes.
The pots are rotated continuously (typical 4 hour cycle) along a closed circuit consisting of a succession of round trips, allowing over 700 plants to be exposed to very homogeneous conditions. Weighing/watering stations are used to monitor and adjust water and nutrient availability according to user-defined scenarios for each pot and cycle. Phenotypic parameters are acquired at the imaging stations (visible and infrared) in an automated and non-destructive manner. The Phenoscope is specifically designed to manage small plants (Arabidopsis) during their vegetative phase and is not (yet) adapted to follow them after floral initiation or to describe 3D growth. We have shown that the average gain from using Phenoscopes is about a factor of 3 (in terms of reducing environmental heterogeneity or the number of replicates required).
Phenoscopes are ideally used in quantitative genetics projects (QTL, GWAS), mutant screens, or any other large-scale experiment requiring the comparison of hundreds of individuals in different environments. They can also be useful for detailed characterisation of a small number of genotypes (especially in comparison with other datasets available in our database) and for establishing treatment response curves, where several gradual levels of stress are applied.
There are only 4 of these robots in the community, all located at the IJPB (INRAE site of Versailles) within the Observatoire du Végétal.

• Mr Christian MEYER
• Mr Olivier LOUDET