Plant growth and phenotyping
Crop Science
More versatile and efficient crop production systems require an in-depth understanding of dynamic plant growth processes. Novel time-lapse imaging procedures acting at different spatial and temporal scales are core elements of the toolbox of our interdisciplinary team. In climate chambers, greenhouses and field sites, we apply visual, near-infrared and thermal imaging to quantify shoot and root architecture, dynamic and short-term growth processes as well as photosynthesis, gas exchange and compound composition of major and alternative crops alike. These ‘phenotyping’ analyses, in concert with a range of approaches from plant ecophysiology, breeding and molecular analysis, will help elucidating plant genotypes and crop production systems that are optimized to regionally differing ecological niches. Moreover, they will facilitate an improved understanding of basic rules governing plant-environment-management interactions. This in turn is a necessary prerequisite to ameliorate the knowledge transfer between lab and field as well as between plant biology and agricultural sciences.
Research topics
Root and leaf growth analysis
Phenotyping
Ecophysiology
Plant Breeding
Biotic and Abiotic Stress
Agronomy
Interdisciplinary
Primary and Secondary Metabolism
Image Processing
Epigenetics
Ecology
Plant Insect Interactions
Global Change Biology
