High Throughput Phenotyping of Spectrally-Optimized Plant Growth

Light is essential to plant growth and development. Despite being established in plant growth systems, current light systems on the market lack the ability to replicate key daily events such as dawn and dusk differences in light quality and intensity that occur naturally. Edmonton, Alberta based technology company G2V Optics Inc has commercialized a precision, programmable-spectra lighting technology aimed at reducing energy inputs for greenhouse food production. Collaboration between the Uhrig lab and G2V Optics successfully generated large amounts of data (e.g. time-lapse pictures of plant growth) that demonstrates the impacts of LED recipes on plant growth; however, translating this data into a cost effective tool for G2V Optics Inc customers (e.g. horticulturalists) has not yet been realized. The current project aims to (A) utilize previously acquired data to automate data acquisition, processing and output pipelines and (B) implement this pipeline with data acquired from G2V Optics newly designed 3D imaging and phenomics system that captures vertical plant growth and is of immense value to indoor plant growth systems.

Faculty Supervisor:

Richard Glen Uhrig

Student:

Sabine Scandola

Partner:

G2V Optics

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Alberta