Technology Platforms

Arabidopsis phenotyping platform

Measuring plant growth and function (phenotyping) is a key bottleneck in identifying the roles of genes, proteins and regulators that we study in our research programs. We are implementing specific technologies within the Centre for measuring various aspects of plant energy function both at low and high throughput scales. In addition, we are linking with other organisations both in Australia and internationally to improve our capabilities.

Our current capabilities include:

• Plant growth facilities at UWA, ANU and Sydney. This includes controlled environment rooms and growth cabinets at UWA (65 m² total growing area), glasshouse (60 m²) and growth cabinet (45 m²) facilities at ANU, and new glasshouse facilities at Sydney. Controlled conditions include low light (50-250 µE m^-2.s^-1), high light (50-1500 µE.m^-2.s^-1), controlled CO₂ (sub ambient to 2% CO₂), controlled temperatures (5-35 ºC) and humidity control.
• Leaf gas exchange facilities. Conventional CO₂ and H₂O exchange – 4 LiCor 6400 gas exchange systems with illumination and fluorescence attachments. Mass spectrometer based gas exchange for measuring CO₂, O₂, and their stable isotopes (Micromass 602, and VG Isoprime gas mass spectrometers). These allow us to examine the isotopic discrimination of both in vivo and in vitro reactions with respect to the use of O₂ and CO₂ as substrates.
• New instrumentation for simultaneous measurement of PS1 P700 oxidation and PS2 chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging which can be coupled to leaf gas exchange systems for examining spatial and temporal variation in leaf photosynthesis. Includes WALZ Dual PAM 100, Mini and Maxi Imaging PAMs, Portable PAM 2000, and 4 PAM 101 laboratory systems, Photon System Instruments Fluorescence Imaging System, Technologica Instruments Maxi and Micro Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging System.
• ASD instruments FieldSpec 3 Spectroradiometer and Bruker Instruments Focal Plane Array FTIR microscope measurement facilities for analysis of leaf carbohydrate and nitrogen (jointly with CSIRO Plant Industry).
• LemnaTec Scanalyzer imaging facility for analysis of the growth of intact plants.

Future expansion of our capabilities will revolve around the National Plant Phenomics Facility. This ambitious initiative is a joint development between the University of Adelaide, and a Canberra node that includes CSIRO Plant Industry and The Australian National University. Centre Chief Investigators Murray Badger and Barry Pogson played key roles in securing $15M for the initiative. The Centre will play a leading role at ANU in the development of a model plant phenotype growth and screening facility in which Arabidopisis phenotyping technologies will be implemented for the benefit of Australian researchers.