The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has invested a substantial $4.5 million into the Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN), marking a significant leap forward in crop measurement technology for Australian researchers. This investment builds upon a previous $2 million allocation in 2024, with an additional $60 million from APPN's primary investor, the National Collaborative Research Investment Scheme (NCRIS).
The funds will empower researchers to harness cutting-edge mobile phenotyping technology, a crucial asset for field research in Australia. This technology enables the measurement of plant physiology, disease detection, agronomic constraints, and genetic improvements, all while expediting research outcomes.
Tom Giles, GRDC's senior manager for enabling technologies, highlighted the unique, nationally distributed network of mobile phenotyping platforms that APPN will establish. This network is underpinned by consistent sensor technologies, expertise, and standardized protocols for data collection and analysis. The investment will also enable the development and refinement of algorithms that automate the measurement of key plant traits, enhancing both the speed and accuracy of phenotyping at the plant, plot, and paddock levels.
Giles emphasized the partnership's role in keeping Australian crop research at the forefront of global innovation in digital agriculture and phenotyping science. The ultimate goal is to deliver better outcomes for Australian growers by accelerating crop improvement and enhancing agronomic practices, thereby boosting productivity, managing risk, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the grains industry.
APPN's field research nodes in Adelaide, Gatton, Narrabri, Northam, Perth, and Wagga Wagga will each be equipped with a mobile phenotyping unit. One notable example is the APPN CALViS mobile phenotyping platform, which will aid scientists in quickly measuring and recording plant growth in the field. These units leverage sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, ground-based scanning platforms, and an on-site Trial Environment Monitoring System (TEMS) to enhance the scale and precision of critical research measurements.
Trevor Garnett, APPN's National Field Phenomics director, underscored the versatility of the mobile phenotyping units, which offer a range of options for analyzing crops at different scales, speeds, and resolutions at almost any trial location in Australia. APPN has developed a national capability for high-throughput phenotyping in the field, enabling researchers and industry to generate more accurate and comparable data, regardless of geographic location.
Each mobile phenotyping unit is equipped with a suite of high-resolution imaging tools, including hyperspectral and multispectral sensors, alongside 3D imaging systems. This setup enables repeatable, non-destructive assessment of a wide range of plant traits in the field, such as water status, nutrient levels, and the presence of disease long before symptoms are visible to the human eye. The premier UAV platform, APPN CALViS, is one of the most advanced airborne units ever deployed for Australian agricultural research.
Garnett noted that APPN CALViS features a high-resolution co-aligned hyperspectral and LiDAR sensor package, capable of measuring a wide range of visible and non-visible traits, as well as each plant's physical structure. Supported by APPN's in-house machine learning, computer science, and data analytics expertise, the consistent technologies of the mobile phenotyping unit fleet will facilitate more effective collaboration across regions and disciplines while ensuring the reliability and direct comparability of the data produced.
This investment marks a major advancement in Australian plant phenotyping capacity, with APPN serving as a national research infrastructure network funded through the Australian Government's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. It comprises nine nodes hosted by leading plant science institutions across Australia, each supporting plant phenotyping research and technology development.
