Providing high-capacity, high-throughput phenotyping in a controlled environment, The Bellwether Phenotyping Facility enables AgTech researchers to precisely measure plants, and enables experiments that would otherwise be infeasible. Such research is essential to assess plant responses to different environments, genetics, and interventions. Thus, researchers can identify plant species, hybrids, soil bacteria, and other interventions most useful for increasing food security and agricultural productivity and resilience.

Who's it for?
Although the Bellwether Phenotyping Facility’s primary mission is to support internal Danforth Center researcher labs, phenotyping services are available to portfolio company and external users, as well. Users include entrepreneurs and university people from across the country, and span both large and small companies.

Amenities

— A custom conveyor belt system and equipment that weighs, waters, and images up to 1,140 plants.
— Daily Imaging
— Plant Ditech Array
— PhenoVation CropReporter
— PlantCV
— Planting, sampling, harvesting, and thinning
— Image processing support
— Ground-truthing
— Raspberry Pi setup and troubleshooting