Sensors 2014, 14, 20078-20111; doi:10.3390/s141120078
sensors
ISSN 1424-8220
www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
Review
A Review of Imaging Techniques for Plant Phenotyping
Lei Li
1,2,3
, Qin Zhang
2
and Danfeng Huang
3,
*
1
School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China;
E-Mail: hudiepianpianlilei@hotmail.com
2
Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems, Washington State University,
24106 N. Bunn Rd., Prosser, WA 99350, USA; E-Mail: qinzhang@wsu.edu
3
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: danfenggrace@gmail.com;
Tel.: +86-21-3420-6943.
External Editor: Gonzalo Pajares Martinsanz
Received: 8 August 2014; in revised form: 9 October 2014 / Accepted: 10 October 2014 /
Published: 24 October 2014
Abstract: Given the rapid development of plant genomic technologies, a lack of access to
plant phenotyping capabilities limits our ability to dissect the genetics of quantitative traits.
Effective, high-throughput phenotyping platforms have recently been developed to
solve this problem. In high-throughput phenotyping platforms, a variety of imaging
methodologies are being used to collect data for quantitative studies of complex traits
related to the growth, yield and adaptation to biotic or abiotic stress (disease, insects,
drought and salinity).
These imaging techniques include visible imaging (machine vision),
imaging spectroscopy (multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing), thermal infrared
imaging, fluorescence imaging, 3D imaging and tomographic imaging (MRT, PET and
CT). This paper presents a brief review on these imaging techniques and their applications
in plant phenotyping. The features used to apply these imaging techniques to plant
phenotyping are described and discussed in this review.
Keywords: phenotyping phenotype; fluorescence imaging; thermal infrared imaging;
visible light imaging; imaging spectroscopy; three dimensional imaging
OPEN ACCESS
