Research Scientist Kazusa DNA Research Institute Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan
Body of Abstract: To analyze gene function effectively, it is essential to study various genotypes under diverse growing conditions, identify variations in their individual growth, and quantify these differences using large-scale data sets. We propose acquiring individual growth information and previous environmental values throughout the plant's growth periods to address this need. Our ongoing research focuses on developing a technology capable of capturing morphological and environmental data of each cultivated plant in real-time. The practicality of this technology lies in its ease of use on-site, where data collection takes place. In this presentation, we present our progress in developing a technology that acquires 3D point clouds to obtain morphological information and an environmental sensor system capable of measuring temperature, humidity, sunlight, soil temperature, and soil moisture for each individual plant. The 3D point cloud acquisition technology efficiently captures the shape values of individual plants, enabling repeated measurements during their growth period. We have also developed an enhanced image analysis algorithm to accurately reconstruct the complex structures of plants. The environmental sensor system, designed for experiments involving hundreds of individual plants, employs a compact Bluetooth-enabled sensor module for easy installation in the growing pot at the measurement site. By providing information on the environmental and morphological changes experienced by each individual organism over time, our technology offers a valuable dataset for functional analysis, facilitating the exploration of interrelationships between environmental factors and plant morphology.