Automated system for germination testing using optical imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9578797-B2
Application number	US-201113637275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2011
Priority date	Mar 26, 2010
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A system prepares plant specimens, tracks the plant specimens, captures images of the plant specimens, and evaluates growth parameters of the plant specimens in the captured images. The system prepares receptacles by placing a predetermined quantity of gel, if required by a particular test, into a receptacle and a layer of material, if required by a particular test, on top of the gel. The system separates a quantity of seeds into individual seeds and places an individual seed in each receptacle between the gel layer and the cover layer. The receptacles are then arrayed into decks and carts and subjected to controlled stress conditions and conditions conducive to germination and growth. An image capture device captures backlit images of the receptacles, and a processor analyzes the captured images for growth parameters of the plant specimens and enters those parameters into a database together with a unique identifier of the plant specimen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for measuring a growth parameter of a plant specimen, said system comprising:
a light source;
an imaging device for capturing an image of the plant specimen, wherein said image is a profile of a transparent receptacle receiving the plant specimen, and wherein the receptacle comprises:
a transparent layer at the bottom of the receptacle,
a cover layer adjacent the transparent layer, such that there is a first transition line between the transparent layer and the cover layer, and a second transition line between the cover layer and air above the cover layer, and wherein a vertical axis of the receptacle extends through a center of the top of the receptacle and through a center of the bottom of the receptacle, wherein the captured image comprises vertical lines of pixels aligned with the vertical axis of the receptacle and horizontal lines of pixels perpendicular to the vertical axis of the receptacle in the captured image, and said first and second transition lines are horizontal lines of the captured image;

a space between the imaging device and the light source for receiving the receptacle and the plant specimen; and
a processor for analyzing the captured image to determine a growth parameter of the plant specimen relative to bounds set in the captured image.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the transparent layer comprises a transparent gel and the cover layer comprises a opaque mixture comprising soil and water, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises changing each pixel that is not either black or white to either black or white as a function of an initial value of the pixel and disregarding statistically irrelevant pixels within the image.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the growth parameter is a height of a shoot of the seedling, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises:
setting a lower bound at the second transition line;
setting an upper bound parallel to the lower bound at a black pixel farthest from the second transition line; and
determining a distance between the upper bound and the lower bound, said distance being the height of the shoot.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the growth parameter is a depth of a root of the seedling, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises:
setting an upper bound at the first transition line;
setting a lower bound parallel to the upper bound at a black pixel farthest from the first transition line; and
determining a distance between the upper bound and the lower bound, said distance being the depth of the root.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the growth parameter is a mass of any shoots of the seedling, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises:
setting a lower bound at the second transition line;
setting an upper bound parallel to the lower bound at a first predetermined distance from the lower bound; setting a left bound;
setting a right bound a second predetermined distance from the left bound;
determining a quantity of black pixels in a portion of the image bound by the lower bound, the upper bound, the left bound, and the right bound; and
estimating a mass of the shoots as a function of the determined quantity.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the left bound is coincidental with a left side of the receptacle, and the right bound is coincidental with a right side of the receptacle.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the growth parameter is a mass of any roots of the seedling, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises:
setting an upper bound at the first transition line;
setting a lower bound parallel to the upper bound at a first predetermined distance from the lower bound;
setting a left bound;
setting a right bound a second predetermined distance from the left bound;
determining a quantity of black pixels in a portion of the image bound by the lower bound, the upper bound, the left bound, and the right bound; and
estimating a mass of the roots as a function of the determined quantity.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second transition lines are determined by determining a difference between a ratio of black pixels to white pixels in adjacent horizontal lines of the captured image and determining that the two largest differences in the ratio between two adjacent horizontal lines are each at a transition line when a plurality of horizontal lines between the transition lines consist essentially of black pixels.

9. A method for measuring a growth parameter of a plant specimen, said method comprising:
positioning the plant specimen between a light source and an imaging device;
capturing an image of the plant specimen via the imaging device, wherein said image is a side profile of a transparent receptacle receiving the plant specimen such that any shoot of the plant specimen extends upward in the captured image toward a top of the receptacle and any root of the plant specimen extends downward in the captured image toward a bottom of the receptacle, and wherein the receptacle comprises:
a transparent layer at the bottom of the receptacle,
a cover layer adjacent the transparent layer, such that there is a first transition line between the transparent layer and the cover layer, and a second transition line between the cover layer and air above the cover layer, and wherein a vertical axis of the receptacle extends through a center of the top of the receptacle and through a center of the bottom of the receptacle, wherein the captured image comprises vertical lines of pixels aligned with the vertical axis of the receptacle and horizontal lines of pixels perpendicular to the vertical axis of the receptacle in the captured image, and said first and second transition lines are horizontal lines of the captured image; and

analyzing, via a processor, the captured image to determine a growth parameter of the plant specimen relative to bounds set in the captured image.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the transparent layer comprises a transparent gel and the cover layer comprises a opaque mixture comprising soil and water, and wherein analyzing the captured image comprises changing each pixel that is not either black or white to either black or white as a function of an initial value of the pixel and disregarding statistically irrelevant pixels within the image.

Assignees

• Deppermann Kevin L
• White Brad D
• Vignaux Nathalie
• Guy Phillip
• Monsanto Technology Llc

Inventors

• Deppermann Kevin L
• White Brad D
• Vignaux Nathalie
• Guy Phillip

Classifications

• A01C1/025 Primary

  Testing seeds for determining their viability or germination capacity · CPC title

• A01G7/00

  Botany in general · CPC title