We present the development of a high throughput phase contrast screening system based on LWFA Xray sources for plant imaging. We upgraded the INRS laser-betatron beam line and we illustrate its imaging potential through the innovative development of new tools for addressing issues relevant to global food security. This initiative, led by the Global Institute of Food Security (GIFS) at the U of Saskatchewan, aims to elucidate that part of the function that maps environmental inputs onto specific plant phenotypes. The prospect of correlating phenotypic expression with adaptation to environmental stresses will provide researchers with a new tool to assess breeding programs for crops meant to thrive under the climate extremes.

Date Published: 16 May 2017
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 10239, Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles IV: Review of Progress and Strategies for the Future, 1023906 (16 May 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2263951

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10239:
Medical Applications of Laser-Generated Beams of Particles IV: Review of Progress and Strategies for the Future
Kenneth W. D. Ledingham, Editor(s)