Network of plant phenotyping researchers An EU project improved Europe's skills and facilities in plant phenotyping. The project fostered a joint research programme and network-building activities, yielding new sensors and technical standards which were applied by users obtaining access to these facilities. Health © Roland Pieruschka Sustainable intensification of crop production is a major challenge to ensure the amount and quality of plant biomass for human nutrition and industry. To improve plant performance a focus on the phenotype/genotype/environment link (figure) is essential. The EU-funded project EPPN (European Plant Phenotyping Network) helped improve European capacity in plant phenotyping. While substantial progress has been made in genomics within the recent years, the quantitative assessment of the plant structure and function using non-invasive technology in automated mode – phenotyping – became a bottleneck reducing progress in basic plant science and breeding. The networking project focused on integrating expertise and capacity, while reducing fragmentation in this discipline. EPPN integrated Europe's plant phenotyping community, first by addressing the stakeholders. Several joint research activities developed novel sensors and information technology standards for application to the research. Staff disseminated the standards to the entire community. Team members ran numerous networking activities to promote linkages among experts, while fostering utilisation of existing facilities through transnational access. Project researchers and independent reviewers developed a transparent access procedure. As a result, the project organised 66 experiments using the combined facilities, mostly from first-time users. The project also helped create a spin-off project: EMPHASIS. The new ESFRI listed project will facilitate structured development and use of pan-European phenotyping infrastructure. EPPN's fostering of networking and collaboration helped to develop plant phenotyping research urgently required to support basic plant science and breeding. Keywords Plant phenotyping, plant breeding, genotype-environment interaction, EPPN
