Imagine using bees as tiny quality-control inspectors to find the toughest plants. Instead of just looking at leaves, this system tracks which flowers bees prefer, as these flowers are better signs of a plant's health during heatwaves. By following the bees, breeders can identify and grow crops that survive drought and heat much better.
Climate change, specifically heat and drought, causes significant crop yield losses by impairing floral metabolism and pollinator services. Current plant phenotyping relies on leaf indexes, which are poor indicators of a plant's actual ability to produce fruit under stress.
An automated pollinator-assisted phenotyping platform using RFID bumblebee geo-positioning and a multi-omics dataset for tomato breeding.
If you are a seed breeder dealing with crop failure due to rising temperatures — this project developed a pollinator-assisted selection platform that identifies genetic traits of resilience. This allows for the creation of F1 pre-commercial varieties that maintain yield under climate stress.
If you are an AgriTech company dealing with inaccurate genotype-to-phenotype predictions — this project developed a bumblebee geo-positioning system based on RFID technology. This provides a new way to quantify plant-pollinator-environment interactions automatically.
If you are a greenhouse operator dealing with water scarcity and heat affecting tomato yields — this project developed a phenotyping platform that uses floral metabolism to predict plant well-being. This helps in selecting the most resilient plant lines for production.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or implementation costs are not provided.
The project is developing an operational phenotyping platform in Murcia and delivering F1 pre-commercial varieties, suggesting a path toward industrial application in tomato breeding.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms or patent details are not mentioned.
The system integrates multi-omics datasets, including metabolic, transcriptomic, and ionomic traits, to link pollinator preferences with genetic mapping.
The project period runs from 2023-01-01 to 2026-06-30, with the delivery of pre-commercial F1 varieties as a goal.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 60% industry ratio, consisting of 3 industrial partners and 2 research organizations across Spain, Germany, and France. This high level of private sector involvement, including one SME, indicates a strong focus on commercial viability and practical application of the phenotyping platform.
Contact AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS in Spain
Contact us to explore licensing opportunities for the RFID pollinator-tracking system.
