Phenomics: Approaches and Application in Crop Improvement

Phenotype is the combination of genotype and environment where the plant grows. Phenomics is a way of speeding up phenotyping with the help of high-tech imaging systems and computing power. It has been a practice in plant breeding for selecting the best genotype after studying phenotypic expression in different environmental conditions and also using them in hybridization programs, to develop new improved genotypes. Phenomics share the advantages of faster evaluation, facilitating a more dynamic whole-of-lifecycle measurement with improved precision, being less dependent on periodic destructive assays and with reduced need for replication in the field. Phenomics aids to obtain high-dimensional phenotypic data on an organism at large scale with the various tools involved. Phenomics, however is more than just data collection paired with data mining. It is a comprehensive approach that combines systems biology and statistical correlation. Data mining techniques and big data approaches have the power to create knowledge that cannot be created otherwise with accurate precision manually.