The quantification of phenotypic differences in root and shoot traits is vital for understanding plant growth, development, and adaptation. High-throughput phenotyping platforms have emerged as powerful tools to efficiently collect large-scale and accurate data on various plant traits. By utilizing advanced imaging and sensing technologies, these platforms enable comprehensive analyses, aiding researchers in unravelling the complexities of plant biology and fostering the development of resilient and high-yielding crop varieties.

Within activities of CROPINNO WP1, our colleague Nemanja Ćuk spent one month at Forschungszentrum Jülich – Institute for Bio- and Geosciences (FZJ), a world leading centre for the development and application of non-invasive sensors and automation technology to quantify structural and functional traits of shoots and roots.

During his stay at FZJ Nemanja Ćuk received a hands-on training on using a high-throughput phenotyping platform for phenotyping inbred lines and hybrids of sunflower grown under drought stress conditions. Precise and reliable phenotypic data collected during the experiment will contribute to the understanding of genetic variations and the identification of superior traits such is drought resilience within the inbred lines and hybrids, which is also one of the goals of CROPPINO WP2.