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IPK Leibniz Institute / Thomas Altmann
In the IPK PhenoSphere, which is unique worldwide, relevant environmental conditions can be set in a controlled and reproducible manner.
IPPN Workshop at the IPK

The latest developments in the field of plant phenotyping and data management, such as the concept of "digital twins", were discussed at an international workshop in Gatersleben on 24 and 25 May. Organiser Thomas Altmann explains the background to the event.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Altmann welcomed almost 200 registered participants to the IPK Leibniz Institute at the end of May - 25 of them were directly on site, the others were connected worldwide via Zoom video conference. This made the two-day workshop of the "Controlled Environment Plant Phenotyping" working group (CEPPG) of the International Phenotyping Network (IPPN) one of the first larger events to take place at IPK after the Corona pandemic. "We had a total of eleven speakers who came not only from Europe, but also from the USA, Australia and China," explains the head of the IPPN working group and head of the "Molecular Genetics" department at the IPK.

In terms of content, the aim was to discuss the latest developments in the field of plant phenotyping, says Thomas Altmann and sees his branch of research on a good path.  "Ultimately, the performance of the plant has to be achieved in the field, but we can now simulate field-like conditions in our phenotyping facilities so that the plants express characteristics that are very close to those in open fields," explains the organiser of the workshop. He sees the IPK in a leading role in this respect. For example, certain environmental conditions can be controlled and reproducibly set for the experiments in a large new facility, the IPK PhenoShpere. And the PhenoCrane, the phenotyping system installed a few months ago, opens up completely new possibilities for recording and data acquisition from plants in the container area of the globally unique facility. "We have indeed made a quantum leap in the cultivation and analysis of crop plants," Thomas Altmann emphasises.

A special aspect of the workshop were the possibilities arising from climate modelling. "The goal is to be able to derive regional weather conditions from the corresponding models," says Thomas Altmann, describing the challenges that Juliane El Zohbi from the Helmholtz Centre Hereon took up. But the workshop also dealt with topics such as data management and data administration. Tim Brown (Australian National University, Canberra) and Rick van de Zedde (Wageningen University) dealt with the concept of "digital twins" in their presentations. "The approach is about having a digital representation, a kind of digital twin, of the plant in the computer." From the IPK, Kerstin Neumann, Marc Heuermann and Markus Kuhlmann gave talks and presented their own work.

Part of the workshop was also a guided tour through the whole plant phenotyping facilities of the IPK, including the PhenoSphere. The tour could also be followed life by the participants who were connected via zoom. Also present was Martin Trtilek, head of the company PSI, which produced and installed the PhenoCrane. "On the one hand, I am of course very happy that the system is now actually in operation after five years of planning and construction," says the company boss. "On the other hand, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas with the scientists who work with this facility. We treat each other with a lot of respect. And that creates the trust that is necessary for successful work."

In the IPK PhenoSphere, a professional film team also produced shootings during the guided tour for a video, in which the capabilities and the performance of the research infrastructure will be featured.

"All in all, numerous aspects for deeper cooperation emerged," Thomas Altmann emphasises. "We will take up the results of our discussions again at the International Plant Phenotyping Symposium (IPPS) in Wageningen in September," he says, looking ahead to the next meeting.

The recordings from the presentations and from the tour are available on the CEPPG workshop website (integrated in the programme). Click here.