Abstract
This study aimed to provide the first results and lessons of the transfer of the ALPHI® phenotyping tool to potato. The ALPHI® device is a tractor with two arms carrying RGB cameras and spectroradiometers, able to acquire proximal sensing variables on microplot experiments. Originally developed for cereals, its transfer was one of the objectives of the INNO-VEG project. Based on two field trials comparing yield and nitrogen uptake of five potato cultivars under two nitrogen rates, the work done demonstrated the ability of the ALPHI® tool (1) to practically operate on potato microplot experiments and (2) to provide a range of proximal sensing variables already known to be of interest in other crops (green fraction computed from RGB cameras and vegetation indices CIgreen, CIrededge, MTCI, MCARI2, and NDVI). A first analysis of the results indicated that the proximal sensing variables obtained were consistent with previous studies both for their general pattern across time related to the dynamic of the plant cover, and for their relationship with agronomic variables related to biomass accumulation, nitrogen content, nitrogen uptake, and yield. Further investigations are already planned to strengthen the results with other sources of data. The ALPHI® tool will also be continuously optimized toward an even more operational device and to include more complex and informative proximal sensing variables.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the technical team of the ARVALIS research station of Villers Saint-Christophe for its involvement in conducting the trials, and the partners of the INNO-VEG project (ADAS which was the coordinator of the project, INAGRO and DELPHY) for the valuable scientific exchanges.
Funding
This study was supported by the project INNO-VEG (www.inno-veg.org), co-funded by the Interreg 2 Seas program 2014–2020 (European Regional Development Fund under subsidy contract No 2S05-032) and by the French Potato growers and value chains funds.
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F. Degan, A. Fournier and J.P. Cohan wrote the first version of the paper and managed its reviewing by all the other co-authors. F. Degan coordinated the scientific implementation of the experiments. F. Degan and J.P. Cohan run the statistical analyses of the data. A. Fournier, K. Beauchêne, and F. Gierczak managed the technical transfer of the ALPHI® tool on potato. F. Gierczak operated the ALPHI® tool in the field. S. Thomas and B. De Solan developed and run the data computing chain of proximal sensor variables. C. Hannon is the general manager of the potato experiments and activities in the ARVALIS research station of Villers Saint-Christophe. J.P. Cohan was the coordinator of the ARVALIS involvement in the INNO-VEG project.
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Degan, F., Fournier, A., Gierczak, F. et al. Adapting the High-Throughput Phenotyping Tool ALPHI® to Potatoes: First Results and Lessons. Potato Res. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-024-09729-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-024-09729-w