Research project EMPHASIS-Belgium - “phenotyping the future crops”
General introduction
Continued improvements in crop performance are needed to cope with climate change and to keep pace with population growth. To tackle these global challenges, novel approaches are required to identify superior crop varieties and to explain the genetics of agriculturally important traits. Plant phenotyping covers the description and characterization of such complex plant traits using non-destructive image analysis-based tools in the context of plant research and crop breeding. Synergies between Flemish phenotyping installations, coordination of phenotyping initiatives and training, and access to state-of-the-art phenotyping platforms is needed to drive world-leading plant and agricultural sciences.
Research approach
This will be achieved through the development of a national node (EMPHASIS-Belgium) for the European distributed plant phenotyping infrastructure EMPHASIS (EMPHASIS.plant-phenotyping.eu). EMPHASIS-Belgium invests in a multidisciplinary approach, from lab to field, by (i) substantially upgrading already available controlled environments and field-based plant phenotyping infrastructures at the partner institutes to meet international standards, and (ii) extending an integrated FAIR data management system that is linked to the initiative EMPHASIS.
Relevance/Valorization
EMPHASIS focuses on four pillars for plant phenotyping: plant phenotyping in a controlled environment, intensive field phenotyping, a network of field trials for phenotyping for breeding and modelling for simulation and/or prediction of crop or plant performance. The entire plant phenotyping community in Flanders should be able to make use of the services, including training and outreach. The visibility of phenotyping efforts in Flanders has improved worldwide. ILVO and VIB are developing a regional platform, consisting of cases from controlled conditions and field phenotyping, with a research focus on drought adaptation of crops in the context of climate change. At ILVO, the unique international research infrastructure HYDRAS has been set up (https://hydras.ilvo.be/en) that is accessible to research institutions and industry. In this way, Flanders has maintained its leading role in the rapidly evolving international plant phenotyping community and stimulated interactive collaborations between disciplines within Flanders, Belgium, Europe (via EMPHASIS) and the rest of the world. This project will be continued with additional funding for the next 4 years.
