Prospector: A mobile application for portable, high-throughput near-infrared spectroscopy phenotyping

Abstract

Quality traits are some of the most important and time-consuming phenotypes to evaluate in plant breeding programs. These traits are often evaluated late in the breeding pipeline due to their cost, resulting in the potential advancement of many lines that are not suitable for release. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-destructive approach that can rapidly increase the speed at which quality traits are evaluated. However, most spectrometers are non-portable or prohibitively expensive. Recent advancements have led to the development of consumer-targeted, inexpensive spectrometers with demonstrated potential for breeding applications. Unfortunately, the mobile applications for these spectrometers are not designed to rapidly collect organized samples at the scale necessary for breeding programs. To that end, we developed Prospector, a mobile application that connects with LinkSquare portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers and allows breeders to efficiently capture NIR data. In this report, we outline the core functionality of the app and how it can easily be integrated into breeding workflows as well as opportunities for further development. Prospector and other high-throughput phenotyping tools and technologies are required for plant breeders to develop the next generation of improved varieties necessary to feed a growing global population.