Unicamp and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) have begun negotiations to implement a pioneering program in the country. The two institutions plan to implement a digital plant phenotyping system—a set of techniques and tools that uses images and digital technologies to measure and analyze plant characteristics. The system will determine size, shape, color, growth rate, and response to acute stress situations—such as prolonged periods of drought or disease—among other factors.
The agreement to carry out the program was discussed this Monday in a hearing in which the rector of Unicamp, Paulo Cesar Montagner, received the president of Embrapa, Silvia Massruhá.
Embrapa researcher Juliana Yassitepe explains that the project aims to use sensor systems to collect information about plants—from height and length to chemical data—more quickly and on a large scale. "Today, we do this manually, using simple equipment, in a procedure that takes a long time and cannot evaluate a large number of plants. The idea is to automate this process using images and sensors and, thus, obtain more information from a larger number of plants, with less effort and in a shorter time," summarizes Yassitepe.
According to the researcher, the project should involve professionals and specialists from the fields of engineering, biology and computing.
"We'll be able to more accurately assess plant behavior, their response to environmental problems, and their interactions with the environment. The project incorporates a very strong scientific aspect, because we can understand the science that's happening there [in the plant], and the practical side, because we can select more resistant varieties and, thus, advance agriculture," he added.
The president of Embrapa recalled that the two institutions have maintained collaboration agreements for more than three decades, including the one responsible for the Center for Genomic Engineering Applied to Climate Change.
"We have been working in biotechnology for a long time, prospecting for genes resistant to water stress, and this has evolved and led to new cultivars in various areas—such as soybeans, corn, sugarcane, and, more recently, coffee," said Massruhá.
"Now we also want to advance in genomics and phenotyping, which influence both resistance and the development of cultivars with increased production and productivity. Along these lines, we've been discussing partnership opportunities. Our idea is to assemble a multidisciplinary team so we can advance this area of phenotyping, coupled with the genomics aspect," he explained.
The dean of Unicamp said he was optimistic about this new partnership.
"We already have a lot of things together, and the idea of this meeting is that we can move towards a strong research agreement and, who knows, in the near future, also involve funding agencies so that we can have funding for such an important area and help the country in this area," he said.
Also participating in the meeting were Embrapa researcher Stanley Robson de Medeiros Oliveira, the rector's chief of staff, Professor Osvaldir Pereira, the deputy chief of staff, Zigomar Menezes de Souza, the coordinator of the International Hub for Sustainable Development (Hids), Roberto Donato, and the director of the Unicamp Innovation Agency (Inova Unicamp), Renato Lopes.
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