Multi-scale high-throughput phenotyping of apple architectural and functional traits in orchard reveals genotypic variability under contrasted watering regimes

Abstract

High-throughput phenotyping for plants A high-throughput method for determining plant characteristics offers a viable way to track competitive traits in the field. Increasingly difficult agricultural conditions are spurring plant breeding programs to prioritize plants with strong adaptations for healthy metabolism, but no current technologies can rapidly assess plant traits in the field. Now, Benoît Pallas, of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, and his team have adapted tools such as infrared and laser-light scanning, and drone imagery, to take define and correlate metrics of 1000 apple trees, such as measurements of volume, leaf area, photosynthetic activity, and water usage. With these results and prior knowledge of the trees’ genotype, the team was able to group the trees into six classes with distinct physical and functional trait combinations. These techniques may open doors for discovering the genetic bases of plant traits.