Plant science research hotel launched in Canberra

A unique Australian plant research ‘hotel’ launched in Canberra is set to attract plant scientists from across Australia and the world to tackle major global issues.

The High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre, part of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, will provide scientists with the next generation of robotic and imaging tools for plant research.

This will help them develop better crops, healthier food, more sustainable agriculture and improved maintenance and regeneration of biodiversity through phenomics – the study of how the genetic makeup of an organism determines its appearance, function and performance.

CSIRO’s Dr Bob Furbank, Science Director for the Centre, says the Centre will house sophisticated growing environments, automated glasshouses, and leading digital imaging technologies and software to measure plant growth and development.

As the first publicly-funded, publicly accessible facility of its kind in the world the Centre will place Australia at the forefront of global plant phenomics and makes its facilities readily available and affordable.

The Centre is part of an initiative of the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) supported by the ACT and South Australian governments, CSIRO, The Australian National University and The University of Adelaide.

The Centre is Canberra’s node of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility located at CSIRO Plant Industry and the ANU. The Plant Accelerator will be the Adelaide node of the Facility located at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus.

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