Mapping dynamic QTL for plant height in triticale.

Background: Plant height is a prime example of a dynamic trait that changes constantly throughout adult development. In this study we utilised a large triticale mapping population, comprising 647 doubled haploid lines derived from 4 families, to phenotype for plant height by a precision phenotyping platform at multiple time points.

Results: Using multiple-line cross QTL mapping we identified main effect and epistatic QTL for plant height for each of the time points.

Multiple-line cross QTL mapping for biomass yield and plant height in triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack).

QTL mapping in multiple families identifies trait-specific and pleiotropic QTL for biomass yield and plant height in triticale. Triticale shows a broad genetic variation for biomass yield which is of interest for a range of purposes, including bioenergy. Plant height is a major contributor to biomass yield and in this study, we investigated the genetic architecture underlying biomass yield and plant height by multiple-line cross QTL mapping.

Precision phenotyping of biomass accumulation in triticale reveals temporal genetic patterns of regulation.

To extend agricultural productivity by knowledge-based breeding and tailor varieties adapted to specific environmental conditions, it is imperative to improve our ability to assess the dynamic changes of the phenome of crops under field conditions. To this end, we have developed a precision phenotyping platform that combines various sensors for a non-invasive, high-throughput and high-dimensional phenotyping of small grain cereals. This platform yielded high prediction accuracies and heritabilities for biomass of triticale.

BreedVision--a multi-sensor platform for non-destructive field-based phenotyping in plant breeding.

To achieve the food and energy security of an increasing World population likely to exceed nine billion by 2050 represents a major challenge for plant breeding. Our ability to measure traits under field conditions has improved little over the last decades and currently constitutes a major bottleneck in crop improvement. This work describes the development of a tractor-pulled multi-sensor phenotyping platform for small grain cereals with a focus on the technological development of the system.