Phenotyping

2 x 5 grid containing images of lettuces. The lettuces vary in head shape (compact or open), leaf structure (straight edged or frilly edged) and in colour (green or red/purple).

A plants phenotype is its observable characteristics, such as flower colour, plant height or leaf shape. For Genebanks, phenotyping means observing and recording data on the accessions that you hold; sometimes this process is also called characterisation and evaluation. There are many different traits which may be of interest to plant breeders and researchers. These range from things which are comparatively easy to observe and measure like root colour or shape, to things like sugar content or disease resistance, which may require specialist equipment or setting up specific experiments in order to measure them. Having good phenotypic data on accessions helps users make more informed decisions about which accessions to request for their work.

Field trials

Each year we carry out field trials to gather data on the phenotype of some of the accessions in our collection. We grow the seed samples out in the field, which ensures that the measurements we get are more reflective of their form than if we grew them in the glasshouse. We measure many different aspects of their growth and form, as well as taking lots of pictures of them. This data is then added to our database and available to our users through our web portal.

Robots

We have been exploring new ways to record phenotypes using robots. Working in collaboration with Warwick Agri-TechLink opens in a new window we have been testing how a robot capable of taking high resolution images might form part of our phenotyping process.

A large box on wheels stands above a row of lettuces in a poly tunnel. Three men watch on looking at computers and control panels.

Did you know...

Plant phenotype varies depending on the environment in which it is grown. This is called "plasticity". This means that in order to get a detailed understanding of a plants phenotype it needs to be grown in different environments or locations. Some of our carrot accessions are part of the European Evaluation NetworkLink opens in a new window project where samples are grown in multiple different locations across Europe to understand more about their phenotype.

Did you know...

Old looking photo of a Brussel sprout plant in a field.

We have been collecting phenotypic data on our accessions since we began in 1980. The oldest photos in our collection date back to 1988!

Crop standards

Many crops have specific sets of traits which should be recorded when phenotyping in a Genebank context. These are called "crop specific standards". This means that different genebanks around the world collect data on the same sets of characteristics, in the same way, making them more comparable between different collections.