High Throughput Genomic Phenotyping

In the wake of the development of technology to sequence the complete genome of an organism, it has become expedient to generate methodologies to elucidate and characterize the function of all genes constituting the complete genetic makeup of an organism, whereby the knowledge of the genetic code may be for scientific and intellectual profit. This work consists of an investigation into two possible methods for determining the role of genes involved in the DNA and cellular damage response, though the methods are generally applicable to investigating a wide variety of biological pathways and responses. A library of approximately 4,800 yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) deletion strains produced by the Saccharomyces Genome Deletion Project and consisting essentially of all possible mutants having one non-essential gene deleted (and replaced with unique identification tags called "bar codes") from the genome are employed in this endeavor. The methods focus on gathering phenotype data in a high-throughput manner and in response to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). The first method makes use of a new technology called the Living ChipTM, which can hold libraries of compounds or cell cultures in an array of 50-nl channels and which could ideally accommodate all deletion strains on a single array. The second method involves pooling all strains together in a single culture and allowing them to grow competitively to determine their relative fitness based on a specific treatment.

This book provides an overview of the innovations in crop phenotyping using emerging technologies, i.e., high-throughput crop phenotyping technology, including its concept, importance, breakthrough and applications in different crops and environments. Emerging technologies in sensing, machine vision and high-performance computing are changing the world beyond our imagination. They are also becoming the most powerful driver of the innovation in agriculture technology, including crop breeding, genetics and management. It includes the state of the art of technologies in high-throughput phenotyping, including advanced sensors, automation systems, ground-based or aerial robotic systems. It also discusses the emerging technologies of big data processing and analytics, such as advanced machine learning and deep learning technologies based on high-performance computing infrastructure. The applications cover different organ levels (root, shoot and seed) of different crops (grains, soybean, maize, potato) at different growth environments (open field and controlled environments). With the contribution of more than 20 world-leading researchers in high-throughput crop phenotyping, the authors hope this book provides readers the needed information to understand the concept, gain the insides and create the innovation of high-throughput phenotyping technology.

Genetic approaches to understanding plant growth and development have always benefitted from screens that are simple, quantitative and rapid. Visual screens and morphometric analysis have yielded a plethora of interesting mutants and traits that have provided insight into complex regulatory pathways, and yet many genes within any given plant genome remain undefined. The premise underlying High Throughput Phenotyping in Plants: Methods and Protocols is that the higher the resolution of the phenotype analysis the more likely that new genes and complex interactions will be revealed. The methods described in this volume can be generally classified as quantitative profiling of cellular components, ranging from ions to small molecule metabolites and nuclear DNA, or image capture that ranges in resolution from chlorophyll fluorescence from leaves and time-lapse images of seedling shoots and roots to individual plants within a population at a field site. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, High Throughput Phenotyping in Plants: Methods and Protocols serves as an invaluable guide to plant researchers and all scientists who wish to better understand plant growth and development.

This volume looks at a collection of the latest techniques used to quantify the genome-by-environment-by-management (GxExM) interactions in a variety of model and plant crops. The chapters in this book are organized into five parts. Part One discusses high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) protocols for plants growing under controlled conditions. Part Two present novel algorithms for extracting data from seed images, color analysis from fruits, and other digital readouts from 2D objects. Part Three covers molecular imaging protocols using PET and X-ray approaches, and Part Four presents a collection of HTPP techniques for crops growing under field conditions. The last part focuses on molecular analysis, metabolomics, network analysis, and statistical methods for the quantitative genetic analysis of HTP data. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and practical, High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping: Review and Protocols is a valuable resource for both novice and expert researchers looking to learn more about this important field. Chapter 21 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

One of the holy grails in biology is the ability to predict functional characteristics from an organism's genetic sequence. Despite decades of research since the first sequencing of an organism in 1995, scientists still do not understand exactly how the information in genes is converted into an organism's phenotype, its physical characteristics. Functional genomics attempts to make use of the vast wealth of data from "-omics" screens and projects to describe gene and protein functions and interactions. A February 2020 workshop was held to determine research needs to advance the field of functional genomics over the next 10-20 years. Speakers and participants discussed goals, strategies, and technical needs to allow functional genomics to contribute to the advancement of basic knowledge and its applications that would benefit society. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Rice has been chosen as a model cereal for functional genomics because of its well understood genetics. In addition, there is great similarities among all the cereals and grasses: any understanding of rice genes is directly applicable to the genes of other cereals. This book details rice functional genomics. It takes a multi-pronged genome-wide approach using structural similarities, expression profiles, and mutant phenotypes. Coverage includes the current status of genome sequencing and annotation, various tools, and resources being developed worldwide.

This Research Topic is part of the High-Throughput Field Phenotyping to Advance Precision Agriculture and Enhance Genetic Gain series. The discipline of “High Throughput Field Phenotyping” (HTFP) has gained momentum in the last decade. HTFP includes a wide range of disciplines such as plant science, agronomy, remote sensing, and genetics; as well as biochemistry, imaging, computation, agricultural engineering, and robotics. High throughput technologies have substantially increased our ability to monitor and quantify field experiments and breeding nurseries at multiple scales. HTFP technology can not only rapidly and cost-effectively replace tedious and subjective ratings in the field, but can also unlock the potential of new, latent phenotypes representing underlying biological function. These advances have also provided the ability to follow crop growth and development across seasons at high and previously inaccessible spatial and temporal resolutions. By combining these data with measurements of all environmental factors affecting plant growth and yield (“Envirotyping”), genotypic-specific reaction norms and phenotypic plasticity may be elucidated.