Development of an autonomous driven robotic platform used for high-throughput-phenotyping in viticulture

Der Anbau von Weinreben blickt auf eine lange Tradition zurück, die jedoch gleichzeitig im Zeichen der stetigen Weiterentwicklung steht. Bei der Züchtung neuer Rebsorten wird der Pilzwiderstandsfähigkeit eine große Bedeutung beigemessen. In der Bewirtschaftung der Rebanlagen kommen zunehmend Methoden der präzisen Landwirtschaft in Adaption zum Einsatz. Das Forschungsprojekt PHENOvines versuchte diese beiden Bereiche miteinander zu verknüpfen. Um die während der Rebenzüchtung notwendigen Phänotypisierungen zu beschleunigen und zu objektivieren, wurde die automatisierte, selbstfahrende Boniturplattform PHENObot entwickelt. Im Zentrum der vorliegenden Arbeit stehen die konzeptionellen und konstruktiven Arbeiten zur Erstellung dieser Boniturplattform, deren Navigation, sowie die Führung des Sensorsystems zur Bilddatenerfassung. Ein weiterer Bestandteil ist zudem die experimentelle Erprobungs- und Versuchsphase. Zu Beginn der Projektlaufzeit wurden Antriebskonzepte evaluiert und schließlich ein bereits auf dem Markt befindlicher, mit elektrischen Bandlaufwerken betriebener Großkistentransporter als Trägerfahrzeug ausgewählt. Die automatische Spurführung entlang, mittels NAVSTAR GPS erfasster Stockkoordinaten, konnte durch die Ausrüstung mit einem RTK-Navigationssystem sichergestellt werden. Allein die Positionsdaten werden zur Navigation genutzt. Daneben kommen Ultraschallsensoren, sowie ein mechanisches Anfahrschild zur Hindernisabtastung als Sicherheitseinrichtungen zum Einsatz. Bedient wird das Bonitursystem über die eigens entwickelte Steuerungsapplikation PHENObotControl 1.0. Dazu sind textbasierte Jobdateien notwendig, deren Erzeugung anhand der Stockkoordinaten mittels skriptbasierter Transformation und Verarbeitung in der GIS-Anwendung GRASS GIS erfolgt. Der Boniturvorgang ist gegliedert in Anfahrt zum Haltepunkt direkt vor dem Rebstock, Nivellierung des Multi-Kamerasystem (MKS), Bildauslösung, Bildspeicherung und Weiterfahrt zum nächsten Stock. Die Nivellierung wird anhand der Daten eines Neigungssensors in einem Lageregelungssystem mit vier möglichen Freiheitsgraden durchgeführt. Bei Erreichen der vorgegebenen Position sendet das Navigationssystem einen Auslösebefehl mit Positions- und Identifikationsdaten an das Bilderfassungssystem, das neben fünf Kamers unterschiedlicher Wellenlängenbereiche auch ein LED-Beleuchtungssystem enthält. Zur Gewährleistung der Objektivität und gleichbleibender Bildqualität findet die Bonitur vornehmlich bei Dunkelheit oder neutralen Lichtbedingungen statt. Die Energie für den elektrischen Antrieb wird in einem Akkumulatorenpaket bereitgehalten, das zusätzlich über einen Generator nach dem Prinzip des Hybridantriebs wiederaufgeladen werden kann. In der Erprobungsphase wurden alle Funktionen des PHENObot getestet und weiterentwickelt. Messfahrten dienten zur Feststellung und Quantifizierung der auftretenden Positionsfehler und deren Quellen. Im Mittel waren die transversalen Positionsabweichungen quer zur Fahrtrichtung bei der Bonitur kleiner als 50 mm. Dies ist ausreichend genau genug, um das MKS optimal zur Bildaufnahme vor einem Rebstock ausrichten zu können. Ein Anwendungsversuch in zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Nächten beendete die Versuchsphase am Standort Siebeldingen. Dabei wurden Bildinformationen von 2726 Rebstöcken bei einer Boniturleistung von gut 280 Stöcken pro Stunde oder knapp 600 m² h-1 erhoben. Im Vergleich zur manuellen Bonitur des Parameters Ertrag konnte somit die Leistung um das knapp 19 fache gesteigert werden. Darüber hinaus liegen durch die aufgenommenen Bilder weitere Informationen zur Beurteilung anderer Parameter vor. In der zusätzlich zur Verfügung stehenden Zeit kann sich der Anwender der Auswertung und Interpretation der gewonnenen phänotypischen Daten widmen. Somit kann ein Beitrag zur Reduzierung der Zuchtdauer einer neuen Rebsorte geleistet werden.The cultivation of grape vines has a long tradition, whilst at the same time being subject to continuous development. When developing new strains of grape vines, great importance is attached to fungal resistance. Vineyard management is also making increased use of adapted precision agriculture methods. The PHENOvines research project was an attempt to link these two trends. The PHENObot automated, self-propelled plant assessment platform was developed for the purpose of accelerating and objectifying the phenotyping required in vine cultivation. The focus of the current work is the design and construction of the assessment platform, its navigation, and the guidance of the sensor system used for image data acquisition. Another element is the experimental trial and testing phase. Drive system designs were evaluated at the beginning of the project. From these, a commercially available bulk bin transporter with electrically propelled caterpillar tracks was selected as the carrier vehicle. The equipment included an RTK navigation system to ensure reliable automatic tracking along the vine coordinates determined by NAVSTAR GPS. Navigation is based solely on the position data. The equipment also includes safety features such as ultrasound sensors and a mechanical, obstacle-sensing collision protector. The plant assessment system is operated via the PHENObotControl 1.0 purpose-designed control software. The software works with text-based job files, which are created using the vine coordinates via script-based transformation and processing in the GIS application, GRASS GIS. The plant assessment procedure is structured as follows: the machine travels to a point directly in front of the vine; the multi-camera system (MKS) is levelled; the image is captured and saved; the machine continues to the next vine. The levelling process is carried out using data from a tilt sensor in a position control system with four possible degrees of freedom. Once the machine has reached the specified position, the navigation system sends a signal (including position and identification data) that triggers the image acquisition system. In addition to five cameras with different wavelength ranges, this system is equipped with LED lighting. In order to ensure objectivity and consistent image quality, the plant assessment procedure usually takes place either in the dark or in neutral lighting conditions. The power for the electric drive system is stored in a battery pack, which can also be recharged via a generator that works on the same principle as a hybrid drive system. All of the PHENObot´s functions were tested and refined during the trial phase. Test runs were used to assess and quantify positioning errors and their causes. During the plant assessment, the transversal positioning deviations perpendicular to the direction of travel were on average under 50 mm. This is sufficiently precise to enable the multi-camera system to be positioned accurately in front of a grape vine for image capturing purposes. Tests carried out on two consecutive nights completed the trial phase at the Siebeldingen site. During the tests, 2,726 images of grape vines were collected at a rate of at least 280 vines per hour, or approximately 600 m² h 1. In comparison with the manual alternative, this represents an approximately 19-fold increase in speed in assessing the grapes. The images also provide additional information that can be used to evaluate other parameters. Not only that, but users can devote the time they saved to evaluating and interpreting the phenotypical data collected. The process can thus help to reduce the time taken to cultivate new grape varieties

An automated field phenotyping pipeline for application in grapevine research

Due to its perennial nature and size, the acquisition of phenotypic data in grapevine research is almost exclusively restricted to the field and done by visual estimation. This kind of evaluation procedure is limited by time, cost and the subjectivity of records. As a consequence, objectivity, automation and more precision of phenotypic data evaluation are needed to increase the number of samples, manage grapevine repositories, enable genetic research of new phenotypic traits and, therefore, increase the efficiency in plant research. In the present study, an automated field phenotyping pipeline was setup and applied in a plot of genetic resources. The application of the PHENObot allows image acquisition from at least 250 individual grapevines per hour directly in the field without user interaction. Data management is handled by a database (IMAGEdata). The automatic image analysis tool BIVcolor (Berries in Vineyards-color) permitted the collection of precise phenotypic data of two important fruit traits, berry size and color, within a large set of plants. The application of the PHENObot represents an automated tool for high-throughput sampling of image data in the field. The automated analysis of these images facilitates the generation of objective and precise phenotypic data on a larger scale

Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome

The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature–trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming

Spatial Mobility, Family Dynamics, and Housing Transitions

This paper summarizes theoretical approaches and empirical research on the links between partnership and family dynamics on the one hand and spatial mobility and housing transitions on the other. Spatial mobility includes residential relocations and commuting. We consider three types of partnerships—living apart together, unmarried and married co-residential unions—and the transitions between them. We also consider separations and the death of a partner. Moreover, we pay attention to childbirth and its consequences for relocation decisions and housing. We differentiate spatial mobility according to distance and direction; housing transitions are considered mainly with respect to changes in ownership status and housing quality (e.g. size of the accommodation). In line with the adjustment perspective on spatial mobility, this paper demonstrates that spatial mobility is a means for individuals and households to adjust their housing situation and their place of residence to requirements of a changing household size and composition as well as to demands of the labor market. At the same time, spatial mobility seems to be more than a mere adjustment process of individuals or households: it is also a determinant of life course changes

Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome

The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature–trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming

Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome

Altres ajuts europeus: P.A.W. was additionally supported by the European Union Fourth Environment and Climate Framework Programme (Project Number ENV4-CT970586)P.A.W. was additionally supported by the European Union Fourth Environment and Climate Framework Programme (Project Number ENV4-CT970586).The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature-trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming