Video: Spider Cam
The physical characteristics of a plant can reveal a lot about its underlying genetics. This can help us answer questions like how much water does the plant use, or how quickly will a plant grow? By linking traits like these to specific genes researchers are seeking to improve crops by providing higher yields for farmers and greater food security worldwide. The science of capturing these characteristics in plants is called phenotyping. We recently got a closer look at the phenotyping experiments taking place at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.