Workshops

Workshops and preconference meetings will be held on Monday, February 9th. Attendance is for conference participants and workshops require a separate registration (for free - closes Jan. 23). The schedule below indicates whether each workshop is offered as in-person or hybrid formats. In cases where there is a limit on the number of attendees, attendees will be selected first-come-first served.

Schedule

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (3 hour workshops):

Phenomics is a Scientific Discipline

Organizer: Alexander Bucksch, University of Arizona, IPPN The Science of Phenomics Working Group
Type: in-person, limited virtual engagement
The workshop features four short impulse talks to ignite the discussion around phenomics being an own discipline (incl. two travel award winners). There will also be two group discussions of the participants that report out their findings around unanswered questions around phenomics.

Embedded Optical Systems for High Throughput Plant Phenotyping

Organizer: Michael Kudenov, North Carolina State University
Type: in-person and virtual
This short course provides a starting point for deploying embedded optical systems for moderate-scale data collection projects and edge (machine learning/AI) computing applications. Bit depth, image formation, sampling artifacts, camera responsivity, and practical issues related to radiometric transfer are placed into the context of camera selection, computer networking, embedded system compute power, GPIO, cable fabrication, electronic shielding, sensor ruggedization, operating systems, camera software development kits, and programming interfaces. Examples focus on high-throughput optical plant phenotyping sensors deployed in online commercial packing operations to further describe the impact of proper selection of electronics, shielding, and computing methods in real-world environments. Key questions answered include “How do I synchronize image collection to external events?” and “How does camera and lens selection impact my data quality?”

Modular Image Analysis with PlantCV

Organizer: Keely Brown, Katie Murphy, and Noah Fahlgren, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Type: in-person (30 person limit)
The workshop will be hands-on (laptop required) using a cloud-based installation of PlantCV so that participants can learn to use it without needing to install anything during the workshop. We will cover introductory material on using PlantCV and then learn to do image-based phenotyping and machine learning doing a fun activity using different varieties of beans as an example. We will also discuss what other more advanced applications are possible.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Lunch on your own

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (4 hour workshops):

NC1212 Workshop

Organizer: Addie Thompson, Michigan State University and Sindhuja Sankaran, Washington State University
Type: in-person
Presentations, discussion, and meeting of the multistate collaboration NC1212: Exploring the plant genome in controlled and field environments.

Data to Science: Expand your ability to manage and analyze your agricultural UAS data

Organizer: Ben Hancock, Purdue University
Type: in-person (20 person limit)
Data to Science (D2S) is an open-source ecosystem developed to address a wide range of practical challenges in processing and managing high-quality geospatial data, particularly voluminous Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) data. Since the release of its first official version in 2024, D2S has been continuously expanded and refined. To enhance user accessibility, D2S centers around a web application with a modern, intuitive interface that connects users and their data through a common API, supporting companion tools such as the Python library (d2spy), QGIS plugin (D2S Browser), and centralized open data repository (D2S STAC repository). This integrated ecosystem has been actively applied to a variety of agricultural research projects, supporting data-driven analysis and collaboration. In this workshop, participants will learn, together with the D2S development team, how to effectively utilize the components of the D2S ecosystem in real-world agricultural research. To take full advantage of the session, we encourage participants to bring their own agricultural datasets. Using our user-friendly tools, you will explore and visualize your data within the D2S ecosystem.

Industry: Dynamic Measurement of Plant Stress Responses: Next-Gen AI-Driven Phenotyping (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM)

Organizer: Nir Averbuch and Ofek Woldenberg, Plant-Ditech
Type: in-person
Whole-plant responses to environmental changes are rapid and dynamic, with each plant responding to the unique microclimate of its immediate surroundings. Yet many phenotyping approaches still rely on proxy and index traits, leaf-level measurements, or sparse sampling, which can mask biologically meaningful physiological signals. This workshop introduces a shift beyond sparse measurements toward continuous, simultaneous, absolute measurements as a foundation for whole-plant physiological interpretation, and shows how this approach, when combined with AI, enables the development of simple, low-cost plant phenotyping tools.

Using examples from published studies, we will demonstrate the PlantArray phenotyping system, a high-throughput, fully automated gravimetric platform for physiological phenotyping. The system enables precise, individualized control of irrigation, nutrient supply, and multi-stress regimes for each plant, while continuously measuring key physiological processes. These include stomatal activity, transpiration dynamics, biomass growth, whole-plant water use efficiency, root water uptake, and the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.

Key Discussion Topics:

• Feedback irrigation control and whole plant measurements using a load cell lysimeter

• Demonstrating use cases in plant response to different stresses in abiotic and biotic stress studies

• Early Detection of Stress Responses Before Visual Symptoms

• Application of machine learning to continuous physiological datasets

• Linking controlled environment experiments to field-relevant plant performance

Using examples from published studies, we will show how machine-learning models trained on continuous environmental and whole-plant measurements can accurately capture daily plant transpiration. 

We invite researchers to join this workshop and engage in an open discussion on how continuous, whole-plant measurements can advance phenotyping practice, and accelerate accurate studies in plant sciences and new low-cost phenotyping technologies.

Industry: Accelerate Your Plant Science: Discover Automated Phenotyping (3:30 PM - 5:00 PM)

Organizer: Alex den Ouden, Phenospex
Type: in-person
Tired of slow, manual plant measurements? Spending hours on tedious data extraction? There’s a better way! Join us at the “Phenotyping is Fun” workshop during the NAPPN conference and discover how to measure effortlessly, accelerate your research, and unlock a new level of precision.

Our Core Technology: The Power of Phenospex. Phenospex offers cutting-edge tools designed to revolutionize plant phenotyping:

• Phenospex’ PlantEye: This unique sensor combines the strength of 3D vision with the power of multispectral imaging. It captures plants non-destructively and delivers 20+ precise, objective plant parameters in real-time after every scan.

• DroughtSpotter: Automate your irrigation and collect high-quality gravimetric data to precisely assess plant water use. This is essential for enabling accurate and repeatable drought and other plant experiments.

• Combined Strength: When used together, the PlantEye and DroughtSpotter provide an exceptional, comprehensive data set for assessing plant growth, stress response and WUE.

Workshop Deep Dive: See TraitFinder in Action. At this interactive workshop, we’ll provide a live, in-depth overview of our phenotyping technology and its broad applications, including:

• Testing the efficacy of biologics, herbicides, and other Ag products.

• Abiotic and biotic stress screening.

• Germination and genotype screening.

• AI modeling.

This is your opportunity to ask questions directly related to your research applications and learn how to optimize your workflow. What You'll Get:

• Hands-on experience with #TraitFinder, #PlantEye, and #HortControl.

• Practical insights from experts Alexander den Ouden and Katrin Jakob.

• Proven tips to speed up your data extraction and significantly improve data accuracy.

• Don’t miss this chance to transform your phenotyping workflow. Join us to measure smarter, not harder!