The 4PMI (Plant Phenotyping Platform for Plant and Micro-organism Interactions) platform provides UMR Agroecology researchers and the wider national and international scientific community with infrastructure and equipment (greenhouses, climate chambers, high-throughput phenotyping devices) for the production and characterization of plant material.

Within the high-throughput phenotyping zone, the aim is in particular to meet the need for detailed analysis of the phenotypes of dozens of plants, screening of much larger plant populations (up to several thousand) in quantitative genetic approaches, and the use of transformants for functional validation of candidate genes. This meta-analysis should make it possible to identify the relationships between physiological processes (and associated genes) and phenotypes.

Missions

The global missions are:

• To produce plant material under controlled conditions (greenhouses or climate chambers)
• To use and develop innovative, automated techniques for high-throughput morphometry of a wide range of biological units and their interactions...
  • under different environmental conditions...
  • at different organizational levels (organ/plant/plant association)
  • for a wide variety of biological units (microorganisms, seeds, seedlings, plants).

In particular, 4PMI will enable:

1. To characterize the diversity of biological functioning of the species involved (morphometry and physiological characteristics), whether these plants are isolated or in intra- or interspecific interaction/competition with other plants (growth rate, reaction to competition, total cycle length, herbicide sensitivity)
2. To analyze interactions between plants and pathogenic/mutualist telluric microorganisms, conditioned by plant and microbial partners (study of pathogen development kinetics and plant defense reactions) and environmental conditions (soil type, CO₂ content, temperature, light, etc.).

Strategy:

The 4PMI platform operates in partnership with the scientific teams via a steering committee made up of UMR representatives. This enables us to guide the strategic choices of the experimental facility in partnership with UMR representatives, and to optimize the procedure for booking and setting up trials, including briefing and debriefing sessions. Integrated protection is included in its pest management methods, it maintains its quality assurance policy, ensures traceability of interventions, and provides uniform and fair invoicing.

The 4PMI platform is strategically positioned at European level: the phenotyping carried out here concerns the aerial and root parts of a large number of plant species. At European level, the platform's specificity concerns the study of plant/plant and plant/microorganism interactions in the rhizosphere.

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To meet these challenges, the platform has:

• Several functional cultivation areas
  • 28 conventional greenhouses from 19m² to 168m².
  • 4 fully automated greenhouses from 29m² to 105m².
  • 2 climatic chambers of 6m² and 5 germinators with shelves.
  • 1 outdoor cultivation area with fixed trellising system.
• 1200 RhizoTubes®, an innovative, patented cultivation system, enabling high-speed aerial and root observation in automated greenhouses.
• A set of devices for high-throughput phenotyping of a large number of units within the automated zone:
  • Precision cultivation on conveyors (individual pot management by RFID, irrigation station with weighing, randomization)
  • 2 high-throughput phenotyping cabins: Aerial and Root phenotyping in the RhizoCabHD
  • 1 climate characterization using climate sensors (PAR / Ventilated T° / Relative Humidity)
  • 1 High Resolution Medium Throughput Root Phenotyping Booth
• Buildings and equipment dedicated to upstream activities preparing conventional or automated experiments:
  • Semi-automated substrate preparation room for soil grinding, machine sieving, dusting and precision mixing at controlled humidity levels.
  • RhizoTubes® assembly workshop
  • Semi-automatic filling on conveyor belt
  • Solution preparation: a laboratory for custom preparation of nutrient solutions, combined with a nutrient solution manufacturing station and mobile solution cart (50m²)
  • Potting and plant treatment: a work area (140 m²) dedicated to work on plants and pots, with a potting table and carts.
• Buildings and equipment dedicated to the downstream processing of samples from conventional or automated experiments:
  • Root washing room with solid and liquid effluent treatment aid
  • Dedicated facilities and areas for washing, disinfecting, drying and storing all RhizoTubes®, pots and accessories at the end of trials
  • Two dryers for plant samples (7 air ovens)

Significant results:

• Participation in the Future-Oriented Investment PHENOME project and continuation with PHENOME-EMPHASIS (French phenotyping platform network) led by F Tardieur and J Legouis (2012-2020)
• Work package leader of the European FP7 project ABSTRESS (2012-2017) (Improving the resistance of vegetable crops to combined abiotic and biotic STRESS)
• Participation and Work package leader in the European LEGATO project (2013-2018) (Legumes for tomorrow's agriculture)
• Participation in the European project PEAMUST (2012-2019) (Multi-Stress Adaptation and Biological Regulations for yield improvement and stability of protein pea)
• Participant in the European FP7 project EPPN (2012 -2016) European Plant Phytogenicity Network) and FP7 ARIMNET Medleg
• C Salon coordinates the ANR MIRGA project (2016-2019) with partners UMR BP & MP Montpellier and private company Biogemma (Clermont Ferrand, France)
• 2 patents for RhizoTubes® and RhizoCab®.

Permanent workers:

SERRES team (Culture, management and development PPHD, maintenance)

Alexis BEAUFILS (AT)

Damien GIRONDE (AT)

Christian Jeudi (IE)

Julien MARTINET (AI)

Frédéric SAIGNOLE (TR)

Franck ZENK (TR)

Manon GILBERT (TR)

ATIP team (Phenotyping Image Analysis and Processing)

Mickaël LAMBOEUF (AI)