About us

Our phenotyping expertise supports the breadth of our plant biology activities and is implemented in partnerships with research organisations and industry partners in the UK and internationally. Equipment for determining classic phenotypes including leaf area, biomass partitioning, grain yield, and carbon and nitrogen content and stable isotope composition of plant tissues sits alongside specialised facilities supporting specific research foci.

Researchers and technical support staff are experts in determination of plant tissue biochemistry, water status and hormone content, as well as root morphology, leaf anatomy, leaf and whole plant water use, and both gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of photosynthesis. A modified chlorophyll fluorescence imaging system and bespoke sunlight simulators support phenotyping of photosynthesis in the lab, and several handheld chlorophyll fluorometer/spectrometer systems support manual phenotyping at plot and field scale. Extensive controlled and semi-controlled plant-growth facilities support propagation for phenotyping of transgenics and genetically diverse populations, and we have dedicated germplasm storage facilities. A state-of-the-art, controlled-environment phenotyping facility in the Wolfson Centre for Photosynthetic Diversity enables non-destructive measurement of plant water-use, projected leaf area from RGB imaging, and leaf performance indicators from hyperspectral imaging. These measurements are automated, capturing cumulative outcomes of plant physiological processes at sub-daily, daily, and developmental timescales.