AUSTRALIA—GERMANY WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY
The Shine Dome, 13-17 March 2006
The Australian National Plant Phenomics Initiative: opportunities for interactions with Germany
by Dr Bob Furbank, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Plant Industry
New technologies in imaging plant growth and photosynthetic performance facilitate assessment of biodiversity and productivity of natural habitats, allow the detection and interpretation of subtle phenotypes and enable smart breeding approaches for genotype selection. A joint initiative between ANU, CSIRO, Australian university researchers and Phytosphere, Jülich, the National Plant Phenomics Initiative will provide cutting-edge automated systems for non-destructive and destructive analysis of above- and below-ground parts of the plant throughout its life cycle. These systems will include visual imaging, chlorophyll fluorescence, infra-red and spectral reflectance imaging, and robotic sampling for metabolites, proteins and DNA.
