High-throughput cultivation and root sampling for plant breeding
SMARTtray® offers a high-throughput method for cultivating and sampling root tissue in a 96-well format, enhancing DNA extraction quality for plant breeding. This modular, scalable workflow streamlines the breeding process with automated, efficient sampling.
Overview
SMARTtray® revolutionizes plant breeding with its innovative, high-throughput method for cultivating and sampling root tissue. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on taking leaf tissue samples, SMARTtray® focuses on the root tissue, which is ideal for DNA extraction due to its high cell density and absence of inhibitors like chlorophyll. The process enables the sampling of all progenies in a 96-well format without additional single plant manipulations, thus maintaining plant integrity and continuity in the breeding process.
Technical specifications
The SMARTtray® system is a complete workflow that includes cultivation, sampling, and DNA extraction. Its modular design allows for easy scalability and full automation, tailored to the plant breeder's needs. The key features include:
- High-throughput sampling in a 96-well format
- Automated sampling of root tissue
- Superior DNA quality due to high cell density and lack of chlorophyll
- Modular and scalable to fit various breeder sizes
Technology readiness level
SMARTtray® has achieved a Technology Readiness Level of 9, indicating full commercial deployment. It has been successfully implemented by multiple plant breeding companies since its market introduction in 2023. The comprehensive solution, consisting of all necessary components, machines, and consumables, can be easily installed at a breeder's site, offering proof-of-concept projects and live demos to showcase its capabilities.
About SMARTtray
SMARTtray is a German agricultural technology company that provides an innovative, high-throughput system for plant breeding. The company has developed a patented end-to-end workflow that automates the cultivation, root tissue sampling, and selection processes. Their technology utilizes a specialized 96-well device and modular hardware, such as automated sampling and cultivation stations, to allow for non-destructive root sampling. This approach enables breeders to perform DNA extraction and marker-assisted selection without the need for manual handling of individual plants, thereby increasing efficiency and throughput in modern breeding programs.
By standardizing these processes, SMARTtray helps breeding companies and scientific institutions overcome the sampling bottleneck often found in large-scale plant cultivation. The system is designed to be scalable and flexible, with modular components that can be tailored to specific user needs, including seed dispensing and controlled environment cultivation. Through these tools, customers can significantly reduce the time required for breeding cycles and improve the accuracy of trait selection, ultimately making the development of new plant varieties more economical and data-driven. The company offers its technology both as an end-to-end system and as a service for research projects.
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