Cohort phenotyping system for plant factory with artificial lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11895939-B2
Application number	US-202017430717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2020
Priority date	Feb 19, 2019
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

The invention tracks and automatically evaluates plant traits of “individuals of plant canopy” in a growth process of a germination period (from sowing until immediately prior to primary seedling culture), at a plant factory with artificial lighting. Specifically, a two-dimensional distribution of the plant traits is calculated by non-destructively and continuously measuring plant trait information in the growth process of the germination period, on the basis of image information 2a, environmental factor information 2b, genetic characteristic information 2c, and management information 2d. In addition, physiological performance reactions of the individuals of plant canopy cultivated in an environmentally-controlled closed space are continuously measured, and measurements are continuously taken of the two-dimensional distribution of the environmental factor information, and items such as temperature, vapor pressure deficit, nutrient solution percentage, nutrient solution temperature, pH, and electric conductivity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting, comprising an integrated control part comprising an operation and control part, a data set input part, a data storage, a machine learning part, an image processing part, a statistical data analyzing part, an association/causal relation derivation calculation part and a verification part,
wherein the integrated control part provides a two-dimensional distribution of plant traits by non-destructively and continuously measuring plant trait information in a growth process during a germination period, on a basis of image information, environmental factor information, genetic characteristic information and management information inputted from the data set input part and stored in the data storage,
wherein physiological performance reactions of seeds sowed in an environmentally-controlled closed space during the germination period are continuously measured, and
wherein a two-dimensional distribution of the environmental factor information, a nutrient solution temperature, a temperature, a vapor pressure deficit, a nutrient solution percentage, a pH and an electric conductivity are continuously measured to reduce labor and working time for automation of production at a plant factory and automation of seed selecting and cultivating operation in a seedling production at the plant factory, improve a germination and produce uniform seedlings.

2. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional distribution is provided by incorporating a morphology, a size, color, temperature of seeds, a timing of germination, a surface temperature of a medium, and an elongating rate of radicles as image information with an RGB image information acquisition means and an IR image information acquisition means.

3. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the physiological performance reactions comprise a water or nutrient solution uptake rate when the seeds start to grow on growing point from dormant in a state that the seeds are swollen, a nutrient solution content to the size of the seeds and an oxygen concentration necessary for the germination.

4. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental factor information comprises a temperature, a vapor pressure deficit, a nutrient solution percentage, a nutrient solution temperature, a pH, and an electric conductivity.

5. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the genetic characteristic information comprises homology information between genome information obtained from genome DNA and RNA extracted from grown plant by various genetic engineering experiments and genome information obtained from known genome information database.

6. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the management information comprises a sower, a time required for sowing, locations of seeds in a sowing box in a germination section, and a measurement error.

7. The seed cohort phenotyping system for a plant factory with artificial lighting according to claim 1 , wherein the germination rate is 99.9% or more.

Assignees

• Univ Chiba Nat Univ Corp
• Non Profit Organization Japan Plant Factory Ass

Inventors

• AMAGAI Yumiko
• Feldman Alexander
• Zhang Yu
• NOZAKI Tomomi
• Kozai Toyoki
• Hayashi Eri
• NUNOMURA Osamu
• HASEGAWA Rikuo

Classifications

• A01C1/02 Primary

  Germinating apparatus; Determining germination capacity of seeds or the like · CPC title

• A01G7/045

  with electric lighting · CPC title

• G06T7/0004

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title

• G06T2207/10048

  Infrared image · CPC title