Wheat biotic stress camera benchmark

In the framework of the Plant health use case (UC1- Link) aiming to assess in the field the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) infection severity, CRA-W, GEVES and AGROSCOPE shared their expertise using imaging systems and portable devices to replace the human eye. The objectives and main publications regarding the UC1 can be found on https://www.cra.wallonie.be/en/phenet-1 .

The three institutions propose consulting services to answer to your needs regarding plant phenotyping and build together new studies and projects.

• CRA-W
• GEVES
• AGROSCOPE

CRA-W

CRA-W, in particular the MOBILAB laboratory, develops analytical solutions for vibrational spectroscopy in greenhouses, on farms, and in the field for improved valorization of agricultural and agri-food products, among others the cereals. The Quality and authentication of agricultural products Unit organizes each year a training dedicated to vibrational Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. CRA-W is also member of the Belgian node of EMPHASIS-Europe.

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GEVES

Synthetic overview services usable for research needing variety studies

GEVES joins in 2024 PHENOME-EMPHASIS, the French Plant Phenomics Infrastructure distributed over 9 French sites in greenhouses, in highly equipped fields and in field networks with simpler equipment. https://phenome-emphasis-ir.fr/

https://www.geves.fr/news-en/geves-joins-phenome-emphasis-the-french-plant-phenomics-infrastructure/

PHENOVAR – Research-oriented service offer

PHENOVAR provides a research-ready environment for field-based digital phenotyping and envirotyping in official and pre-official variety testing, with strong methodological validation and regulatory relevance.

Key services for research include:

• Lean field phenotyping  for variety testing using low-cost and affordable mobile platforms (smartphones, drones, pedestrian sticks) with RGB and multispectral imaging. https://www.geves.fr/news-en/geves-heavily-involved-in-cima-2025/
• Envirotyping of trials through dense, deployable networks of connected weather and soil sensors, enabling detailed characterization of environmental conditions.
• Method development and validation of digital phenotyping pipelines, rigorously benchmarked against reference (manual) measurements.
• Access to large multisite datasets combining phenotypic, environmental, and trial metadata across diverse pedoclimatic contexts.
• Trait discovery and trait refinement, especially for biotic and abiotic stress adaptation.
• Scalable data processing workflows for high-throughput image and data analysis, including integration with PHENOME digital platforms.
• Strong linkage with regulatory evaluation systems, facilitating transfer of research outputs into official DUS and VCU assessments.
• Collaborative research framework involving GEVES, INRAE units, technical institutes, European partners, and breeding companies.

Overall, PHENOVAR acts as a bridge between methodological research, large-scale field experimentation, and regulatory varietal evaluation, making it particularly well suited for applied research in plant breeding, stress resilience, and agroecological performance.

https://www.geves.fr/about-us/variety-study-department/dus-vcus-testing/

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AGROSCOPE

The group of Production Technology and Diversified Cropping Systems of Agroscope focuses on agricultural systems, the effects of diversification and emerging technologies for automating agricultural monitoring.

Our main cropping systems are wheat, potato, oilseed rape, sunflower, and soybean. We test new varieties in field trails and automate monitoring with new plant phenotyping approaches and embedded systems. We develop and test digital phenotyping solutions for variety testing, breeding, and agricultural applications. For this, we make use of UAVs equipped with RGB, multispectral and thermal imaging, as well as various ground-based measurement devices. This work culminates in collaborative multistakeholder platforms such as the Swiss Plant Phenotyping Platform and EMPHASIS at the European level. Besides the Phenet project, we deliver phenotyping services through the AgroServ project.

We also work on large datasets to assess the effects of agricultural diversification on economic, social and environmental aspects. Emerging pollutants such as nano and microplastics are important contaminants of agricultural systems. We test their impact on staple food and consumers. It is a priority to translate results into practice. We work closely with the farmers and the sector to understand which solutions are needed and where.

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