Core Projects & Experiments

PhenoRob is a platform promoting technology-driven approaches towards sustainable crop production. The Cluster is structured around 6 closely linked Core Projects with further large-scale field experiments at Campus Klein-Altendorf and in other areas of Germany.

CP 1: In-Field 4D Crop Reconstruction

To make good decisions, it is vital to know the current condition of the field. Core Project 1 develops novel ground and aerial vehicles that operate autonomously and provide precisely georeferenced, phenotypic data from single plant organs over the experimental plot to the field scale.

CP 2: Relevance Detection of Crop Features

Based on aboveground data collected in the field that display crop development, Core Project 2 identifies unknown correlations towards realizing new expressive features for crop science.

CP 3: The Soil-Root Zone

Core Project 3 measures the soil-root zones of crops with minimally or non-invasive sensors and robotic technology concentrating on sensing and predicting root performance in the field.

CP 4: Autonomous In-Field Intervention

Core Project 4 aims at converting the collected data into robotic actions in the fields, exploiting digital avatars.

CP 5: New Field Arrangements

Crop mixtures offer multiple advantages over mono-cropping. Newly developed advanced data acquisition and data analysis tools provide new insights into interactions and mechanisms in crop mixtures.

CP 6: Technology Adoption and Impact

Core Project 6 analyzes the potential impact of robotics and phenotyping technologies on agricultural development, welfare, the environment, the landscape, as well as on the farm level.

Field Experiments

We operate a large number of field experiments across Germany. These field experiments provide a test field to develop PhenoRob technology under realistic agricultural conditions.