Using imaging to speed up crop innovation

Event 28 January 2019
The Histocytology and Plant Cell Imaging Platform is planning an open day for firms in the Occitanie region on 15 February. The platform, which has 44 microscopes and is studying more than 100 plant varieties, is the only one of its type in France. It is shared by several research organizations, and has 80 years of experience of plant anatomy.
Rice collar © M. Lartaud, CIRAD
Rice collar © M. Lartaud, CIRAD

Rice collar © M. Lartaud, CIRAD

Agricultural and agrifood products, cosmetics and phytotherapy, biocomposite and biosourced materials, clothes and objects of the future… the boom in demand means that the plant kingdom has a bright future ahead of it. Research and innovation in the sector are thriving, and the intimate knowledge of plants obtained through imaging serves to:

  • understand how plants grow, how inputs work, and how diseases enter plants (1)
  • observe seed structure
  • check the composition and origin of plant-based ingredients
  • pinpoint where active substances are found in plants, for more efficient extraction
  • determine the quality and quantity of plant fibres for use in textiles or biomaterials.

The Histocytology and Plant Cell Imaging Platform (PHIV) shared by CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro and CNRS is available to local firms in need of such services.

Saving slides by digitization

The PHIV platform can also help firms and museums with large numbers of slides to build a collection of virtual slides. This involves digitizing the original slides and tracing each sample using barcodes. This could be of great interest to natural history museums concerned about deterioration of slides that are often several centuries old.

(1) Imaging has been used to fight wilt on Syrah grapevines, by identifying an early histological marker of the disease, which strikes a year after planting. This has made it possible to breed compatible graft and rootstock clones. While the disease has not yet been entirely eradicated, the clones have significantly reduced the risks for vineyards.