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Get them answered by the team at Bayer Crop Science.
Background
Bayer Crop Science is exploring partnerships to revolutionize plant tissue sampling in greenhouses through automation, robotics, and more. We aim to find innovative solutions capable of navigating greenhouse environments, identifying specific plants and tissues for sampling, executing the sampling process, and ensuring sample integrity for downstream processing.
This initiative is open to solutions from both academic and corporate sectors, with or without direct experience in agriculture. Our goal is to enhance efficiency and precision in plant tissue analysis, contributing to advanced agricultural research and development.
What we're looking for
We seek cutting-edge, autonomous solutions for accurate plant tissue sampling in greenhouses.
Solutions of interest include:
- Ready-to-deploy technology with existing end-to-end proof of concept with plants in a greenhouse
- Autonomous robotics that can navigate indoor environments for other purposes (non-agricultural)
- Expertise in the design and engineering of greenhouse automation systems
- Innovative non-robotic solutions achieving efficient plant tissue sampling
Our must-have requirements are:
- Can be adapted to work in various greenhouse/glasshouse settings.
- Capability to sample tissue from diverse plant species, sizes, and morphologies.
Our nice-to-have's are:
- Can collect large number of samples without human intervention.
- Requires minimal custom design/layout of the plants in the greenhouse
- Sample storage capabilities, preferably in 96-well SBS format plates
What's out of scope:
- Solutions requiring plant movement to stationary sampling instruments.
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 2-9
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Co-development
Material transfer
Supply/purchase
Sponsored research
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Up to $100,000 for a proof-of-concept, with additional potential funding for further development.Expertise
To aid any potential project, we can offer expertise in plant growth and care and in controlled environment systems.Facilities and Services
Utilizing Bayer greenhouse facilities to test ideas and solutions.Who we are
Bayer’s vision of #HealthForAll, #HungerForNone drives our need to strengthen innovation capabilities in all areas of agriculture. We know we can’t accomplish this alone, so we're always interested to hear about novel, early-stage scientific innovations that can contribute to feeding the world without starving the planet. You have our commitment to take a look, match with our R&D priorities and provide you timely feedback.
Learn moreReviewers
PT
Phil Taylor
Director of Open Innovation & Outreach
DR
Dan Ruzicka
Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding
Q&A with Bayer Crop Science
The Q&A is now closed.
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Most upvoted
Q.
What are the focus plant types and differences in their sizes?
AS
March 7, 2024
2
A.
We are thinking about this opportunity for a variety of plant species and growths stages, so there's no restriction in that sense. Thanks for your question.
PT
Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation & Outreach, Bayer Crop Science
March 7, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Do you specifically require a physical sample to be collected? Or would non-destructive sensing of the plant be suitable if it can deliver the same results/insights?
DC
Dan Carlisle, Tech Transfer, Massey University
March 5, 2024
1
A.
Thanks for the question - the sample is for genotyping, so a destructive sample is likely needed. That said, if you have a solution for the upstream activities (e.g. robot in the greenhouse that can detect/identify a plant) then we would encourage you to submit so we have the opportunity to connect and discuss further.
PT
Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation & Outreach, Bayer Crop Science
March 7, 2024
Is this response helpful?
1
0
Q.
How fast/frequent the process is? Basically, what is throughout needed.
From the tray, the samples must be small. Is there already a particular device that takes the small samples?
1
A.
Hi Mojtaba,
This is a regular activity in our greenhouse workflows. What we need is an automated solution that can be scaled/adapted to different plants and greenhouses, so we are flexible to consider different types of solutions. We currently sample a 6mm disc of tissue via a manual sampling activity, so we are aiming to replace all or part of the process with automation. If you have technology that can address one or more parts of the workflow (e.g. identifying and moving to the plant, taking the sample, and placing the sample in the destination) then we encourage you to submit and we can discuss from there.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 1, 2024
Is this response helpful?
1
0
Q.
Do you want to redesign the greenhouse or directly apply the existed greenhouse storage module for the sample collection? Do you have barcode for each plant labeling?
JH
March 31, 2024
1
A.
We want a sampling mechanism that can work in our current greenhouse infrastructure - currently we would need the sampler to move to plants rather than move the plants to the sampler. Each plant is labeled and this information would need to be captured/associated with each sample.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 1, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Based on the description, it required that apply 96 well plate for the sample collection. Whether here does it mean only leaf? What are the sample types required to be collected, such as leaf, shoot, root, flower?
JH
April 1, 2024
1
A.
We are sampling leaf tissue.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 1, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Has Bayer established digital location information system about those labeled plants in the greenhouse? Or just need a sample collection robot for leaves collection from plants in existing greenhouse?
JH
April 2, 2024
1
A.
Ultimately we will need a solution to work within our internal environment, but at this stage this is not criteria or must-have component.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 3, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Could you provide more details about the sampling process? Do you sample an entire intact leaf, or cut a portion of the leaf and store it in plates?
1
A.
Currently we take a small disc sample from the leaf to store it in a plate. We might be open to other sample sizes and formats if that is necessary for an end-to-end solution (e.g. a robot that can only take larger samples) but we would then need to consider how these changes might impact existing downstream processes. Our recommendation is to submit your proposal and we can go from there to discuss details together.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 9, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Would you be interested in a robot dog or a wheeled robot to walk following a marker on the ground and carry the plant identifier (typically an imaging system) and sampler around?
1
A.
Yes, the challenge envisions the need for some type of robotics system to bring the sampler to the plants. We encourage you to submit an application with your idea and we can go from there.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 12, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Have you heard of SMARTtray®? Our root-focused plant breeding tech allows quick sampling of 96 plants, eliminating individual manipulation. Visit our website for info (www.smarttray.eu). Contact us for facility visits.
ZM
April 12, 2024
1
A.
Hello, thanks for the suggestion. We still encourage you to submit a challenge application to share more info about your technology.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Is there a minimum and maximum size of the plant (i.e. how far does the robot have to reach?)
DS
April 12, 2024
1
A.
Hello,
The plants are grown with different setups and sampled at different stages, so there is some flexibility around these parameters. Young seedlings would likely be on benches whereas older plants might be in pots directly on the greenhouse floor. In all cases, the sampling is done by hand today, so you can think of the constraints for the robot as similar to a human.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
How are plants typically arranged in the greenhouse? Does the solution need to support sampling plants grown on racks or vertical farming setups?
DS
April 12, 2024
1
A.
We are looking for solutions for various greenhouse set-ups, but mostly for an open greenhouse design with benches. We can share more details in a follow up discussion after the grant proposal stage.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Along with physical samples, is there a need for collecting data about the sampled plant or the sampling process itself (e.g., time, exact location on the plant, environmental conditions at the time of sampling)?
DS
April 12, 2024
1
A.
Some meta data (date/time, plant ID, and greenhouse location) will be important but we are not yet aiming to combine this solution with other phenotyping needs or other conditions. In this case we are aiming for solutions to our high throughput sampling pipeline, not unique experiment sampling where other factors such as leaf location or environmental conditions would be necessary.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Hello Phil and Dan, We are interested, but still have a few questions that will help align: Question 1. Do you have to clean the sampling device between the plants (like water wash or disinfection etc)?
1
A.
Multiple samples will need to be taken from different plants. Experiment testing will likely be necessary to determine if cleaning would be required in between different samples to avoid contamination.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 22, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Question 2: What is the order of magnitude of samples per minute or second etc... a few per minute or tens
1
A.
We are flexible on this dimension because the samples do not need to be taken in the same time window. Total number of samples might be 100s per day.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 22, 2024
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0
0
Q.
Question 3: Is there a clear passage that is flat for a mobile robot to move around? Or is the space rugged with potential obstacles to maneuver around?
1
A.
the robot would need to navigate a concrete floor of a greenhouse. It would be clear enough to navigate. Ideally we could move the robot to different greenhouses manually.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 22, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Question 4. How high are the plants from the floor? and how deep they may be in a row of the plants? Are they in multi-level shelves or clear from the top?
1
A.
We are flexible on this dimension. Plants may be in pots on the floor or on benches. Today, the system is optimized for ergonomics for a human sampler but this could be adjusted.
DR
Dan Ruzicka, Innovation Sourcing Lead - Biotech Breeding, Bayer Crop Science
April 22, 2024
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0
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