02 AIT Growth Capsules
Image gallery:
Contact:
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Center for Health & Bioresources
Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24
3430 Tulln an der Donau
Austria
Email: michael.stierschneider@ait.ac.at
Phone: +43 50550 3559
Web: https://www.ait.ac.at/themen/bioresources
Key facts:
Description:
| Name | AIT Growth Capsules |
|---|---|
| Location | AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Bioresources Unit, Tulln an der Donau |
| Category | Multiple sensors, Highly controlled environment |
| Environment | Temperature: -5°C to 40°C; Relative air humidity: 40% to 80%; Light: adjustable LED light spectrum (4 light channels), up to 1000 µmol m-2 s-1 PPFD; CO2: ambient to 1500 ppm; Highly controlled cultivation conditions, simulation of dynamic environments |
| Sensors | Chlorophyll fluorescence; Hyperspectral (VNIR); RGB; 3D scan [all top-view] |
| Traits | Morphometric and physiological |
| Capacity | 4 identical chambers; Pots: 20 x 5L or 40 x 3L or 80 x 2L or 400 x 250mL per chamber; Plant cultivation (potting) can be adjusted to specific needs |
| Limitations | Plant height: up to approximately 120cm, no side-view |
| References | |
| URL | https://www.ait.ac.at/en/research-topics/bioresources/phenotyping-of-plants |
The AIT growth capsules comprise four identical walk-in compartments for plant cultivation, which can be individually controlled, i.e., different environmental conditions can be simultaneously applied. The compartments can also be specifically equipped with four different top-view imaging sensors for automated sensor-to-plant phenotyping campaigns. The setup facilitates higher throughput and deeper data acquisition to gain comprehensive understanding of plant behaviour under controlled conditions. The facility allows for comparative studies of e.g., the impact of environmental factors or treatment effects on plants and/or differential expression of traits in diverse plant lines. The AIT growth capsules were funded by the research and innovation initiative d4agrotech (Province of Lower Austria), and with the support of the funding programme “Expansion of research and technology infrastructure” (IWB/EFRE). The facility was built/installed by Photon Systems Instruments. The facility is operated by the Bioresources unit at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and is available for collaborative and contract research for national and international partners from academia and industry.