Translating High-Throughput Phenotyping into Genetic Gain

Abstract

Inability to efficiently implement high-throughput field phenotyping is increasingly perceived as a key component that limits genetic gain in breeding programs. Field phenotyping must be integrated into a wider context than just choosing the correct selection traits, deployment tools, evaluation platforms, or basic data-management methods. Phenotyping means more than conducting such activities in a resource-efficient manner; it also requires appropriate trial management and spatial variability handling, definition of key constraining conditions prevalent in the target population of environments, and the development of more comprehensive data management, including crop modeling. This review will provide a wide perspective on how field phenotyping is best implemented. It will also outline how to bridge the gap between breeders and ‘phenotypers’ in an effective manner.

Applying the latest advances in genomics and phenomics for trait discovery in polyploid wheat

“…These are usually either a fixed platform with a camera that images a small area of selected plots in the field or based on mobile imaging systems such as manually operated platforms or unmanned aerial vehicles. The specifics of these platforms have been reviewed recently (Araus et al ., ), and each offers a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. These platforms all rely on imaging technologies such as RGB and infra‐red, mentioned previously, as well as hyperspectral imaging, which is particularly popular for in‐field imaging.…”

Canopy height measurements and non‐destructive biomass estimation of Lolium perenne swards using UAV imagery

“…In a recent review by Gebremedhin, Badenhorst, Wang, Spangenberg, and Smith (), phenotyping is presented as the bottleneck to implement genomic strategies in forage species. Furthermore, the adoption of precision phenotyping tools by breeders is frequently lagging behind scientific‐technological advances in this area due to the lack of versatile and affordable approaches to screen large collections of breeding strains in a high‐throughput manner (Araus & Cairns, ; Araus, Kefauver, Zaman‐Allah, Olsen, & Cairns, ; Desta & Ortiz, ).…”

From genome to phenome: genome‐wide association studies and other approaches that bridge the genotype to phenotype gap

“…Two of the most relevant technological innovations that in the last decade have resulted in significant advances in plant science are the development of next‐generation sequencing (Tautz et al ., ; Jiao and Schneeberger, ) and high‐throughput phenotyping (Araus et al ., ). Whilst the latter is often used to describe wholeplant phenotyping by imaging‐based methods, it also includes the analysis of molecular phenotypes such as the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome.…”