High-Throughput, In-Field Screening of Photosynthetic Efficiency in Crop Plants Using an Autonomous Robot

Photosynthesis supplies energy not only for plant biomass production but also for symbiotic processes such as nitrogen (N) fixation. Whereas the potential for further genetic gains in productivity of major crops from improved light interception and harvest index has largely been exhausted, naturally occurring or induced genetic variation in photosynthetic traits still offers considerable potential for further yield improvement. However, since photosynthesis is highly dynamic under fluctuating field conditions, it is difficult to conduct a targeted selection for photosynthetic performance unless high spatial and temporal resolution data are available. To bridge this gap, we installed a light-induced fluorescence transient (LIFT) device on an autonomous field robot to measure the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fq'/Fm'), which has been shown to be well correlated with overall photosynthetic performance. The LIFT method uses sub-saturating flashes at a fast repetition rate to induce maximum fluorescence, enabling measurements in less than 1 ms from a distance of up to 1 m. The robot moves at a speed of 0.5 m s^-1, autonomously navigating the entire field based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) coordinates. Spectral measurements and stereo red, green, and blue (RGB) cameras provide additional information about three-dimensional (3D) plant architecture-related traits, such as leaf angle and light intensity on the target leaf. The resulting high spatiotemporal resolution maps of photosynthetic efficiency provide detailed information about the growth performance of plants in agronomic field trials or plant breeding nurseries.