Opportunities and limits of controlled-environment plant phenotyping for climate response traits

Abstract

Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns will affect agricultural production substantially, exposing crops to extended and more intense periods of stress. Therefore, breeding of varieties adapted to the constantly changing conditions is pivotal to enable a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate crop production despite the negative effects of climate change. As it is not yet possible to select for adaptation to future climate scenarios in the field, simulations of future conditions in controlled-environment (CE) phenotyping facilities contribute to the understanding of the plant response to special stress conditions and help breeders to select ideal genotypes which cope with future conditions. CE phenotyping facilities enable the collection of traits that are not easy to measure under field conditions and the assessment of a plant‘s phenotype under repeatable, clearly defined environmental conditions using automated, non-invasive, high-throughput methods. However, extrapolation and translation of results obtained under controlled environments to field environments is ambiguous. This review outlines the opportunities and challenges of phenotyping approaches under controlled environments complementary to conventional field trials. It gives an overview on general principles and introduces existing phenotyping facilities that take up the challenge of obtaining reliable and robust phenotypic data on climate response traits to support breeding of climate-adapted crops.

Precision phenotyping across the life cycle to validate and decipher drought-adaptive QTLs of wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) introduced into elite wheat varieties

“…Non-invasive high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) offers a precise and rapid way to study genotypes in an objective and standardized manner ( Chen et al, 2014 ). It can be carried out in the field or in the greenhouse, with greenhouse experiments under controlled conditions being particularly suitable for climate change scenarios such as drought stress ( Langstroff et al, 2022 ). Modern phenotyping technology provides better experimental opportunities to identify key loci and mechanisms for the complex stress response ( Langridge and Reynolds, 2021 ).…”

From data to knowledge – big data needs stewardship, a plant phenomics perspective

“…Besides the genebank, the IPK will extensively increase the work on phenotypic research and related projects. With the completion of the plant cultivation hall (currently being renamed to IPK PhenoSphere [IPK‐PS]) (Langstroff et al., 2021), the IPK has a unique basis for running novel studies. With these new facilities and new technologies, the challenges have increased and the amount of data in phenotyping has multiplied.…”

A Genome-Wide Association Study Pinpoints Quantitative Trait Genes for Plant Height, Heading Date, Grain Quality, and Yield in Rye (Secale cereale L.)

“…Although early heading date and a shorter vegetative phase were significantly (p < 0.001) correlated with grain yield under less-osmotic stress conditions in 2012, drought escape through earlier heading could not be identified as an adaptive mechanism of rye in 2011, as indicated by a correlation coefficient between GYD and HDT of almost zero. Further research directed to the collection of drought tolerance traits that are not easy to measure under field conditions, and the assessment of rye using state-of-the-art phenotyping in controlled environments (Langstroff et al, 2021) is necessary to consolidate the relevance of our conclusion. The substantially increased grain arabinoxylan content in osmotically stressed rye is a striking phenotype that will subsequently be discussed.…”