The “PhenoBox”, a flexible, automated, open-source plant phenotyping data solution (OA)

High-throughput plant phenotyping systems are an excellent tool for analyzing large plant populations, providing better understanding of plant growth, productivity and performance under stress conditions. Unfortunately, high-throughput platforms are also high on costs and limited in their adaptability for specific questions, limiting the use by the researchers. Czedik-Eysenberg et al. presents a PhenoBox/PhenoPipeline, a scalable and flexible alternative to commercial high-throughput phenotyping platforms. The system is able to collect the visual data, recognize specific plans based on the QR code, and pre-process the images before sending them to the server for further analysis by the PhenoPipeline. The phenotyping system is set to perform all the analysis steps, from image capture and segmentation all the way to statistical analysis of sample groups. Most importantly, the code for operating the PhenoBox, PhenoPipeline and the documents on how to set up your own phenotyping platform are publically available, and can be adjusted to perform research-driven phenotyping, rather than being restricted by the commercial systems. (Summary by Magdalena Julkowska) New Phyt. 10.1111/nph.15129