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Forschungszentrum Jülich
ICG3-Phytosphere
Germany
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The ETNA School will cover the following topics:
- Plant cultivation
Which methods are available for growing your plants? The choice of the culturing method can have profound effects on the results you get. What are the pitfalls you can be trapped in and how can you avoid them? What are important considerations if you want to apply a stress factor to your plants. And how will that affect the experimental design of your experiments?
- Analysis of leaf, root, and plant growth
The growth performance of a plant is one of the most essential factors you need to know if you want to evaluate how a certain environmental stress factor or genetic mutation affects your plant. Highly sensitive imaging techniques can follow individual leaf and root growth and it is now even possible to analyze growth of the total leaf area and of the root system in high-throughput. You will get hands-on experience with the equipment used at the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center. The short-term measurements will be complemented with an in silico practical where we look at a whole-plant perspective and break-down whole-plant relative growth rate into the various physiological and morphological components.
- Measuring and Imaging photosynthesis
There are two main techniques to measure photosynthesis, either using gas exchange or chlorophyll fluorescence. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, which will be discussed during this week. You will be able to use both techniques and check for yourself whether they provide you with the appropriate information you are looking for.
- Hyperspectral imaging and remote sensing
Fluorescence techniques only use a very small and specific part of the wavelengths that are available for imaging. More information is to be gained if reflectance by a much larger range of wavelengths is used. This technique, called hyperspectral imaging, is used both for individual plants, such as to determine chemical composition, but also at the vegetation scale in remote sensing. Apart from a background in the theory, you will investigate the practical consequences of changing a vegetation, evaluating its consequences for remote sensing.
- NMR-imaging
NMR-imaging requires more advanced facilities, but the reward is that you are able to have a non-destructive look into the plant. Several NMR's are available at the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center. Hands-on operation of such machines requires extensive experience, but you will obtain knowledge about its functioning and possibilities, and there will be a demonstration with real plants subjected to different treatments.
- Microwave resonator
One of the latest developments in imaging is the microwave resonator, which can determine the amount of water in a shoot, or in the soil. In the first case, it can be applied as an estimator of plant size. Although still in development, you will use this apparatus to assess the biomass in a non-destructive way.
Part of the techniques are worked out while you do your own small experiment within the facilities of the JPPC. This will ensure a much better understanding of the techniques used. The last day of the school will be reserved to work out the data and present a small talk about your findings.
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The EPSO plant phenotyping workshop and the ETNA School on Plant Phenotyping were financially supported by:
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last change 16.03.2010 |
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