Traitfinder

We aim to acquire a multispectral (rgb + nir) laser scanner, specifically designed for high-throughput plant phenotyping and digital biomass measurement. Two identical devices will be purchased: one for UiT- The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, and the other for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (nmbu) in Ås. The devices will be used by researchers, technical staff and students for a variety of plants to monitor their phenotype in response to environmental challenges. The devices should be able to acquire the spectral (rgb color and near-infrared (nir)) and spatial (3D) information of multiple plants at once from a variety of species of interest, generate individual plant 3D models using the acquired data, and measure based on the models plant properties with at a minimum: plant digital biomass, plant height, 3D leaf area, greenness and generic spectral indices (including ndvi, npci, and psri). The devices should have automated 3D imaging & multispectral processing and plant parameters generation, for instance to convert the acquired spectral information to hsv color space (hue values) and compose spectral vegetation indices corrected with 3d-information of plants morphology and architecture. Our applications need ability to operate under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions, with waterproof equipment, allowing for measurements under sunlight, artificial light, and darkness. The devices should be mobile to enabling moving to different rooms. Software should be easy-to-set-up and user-friendly and compatible with MicroScan 3D/Multispec laser scanner software, which is already in use at UiT and nmbu.