120,000 wheat spikes scanned … and counting!

The APPN team at Adelaide University’s The Plant Accelerator® are using an innovative X-ray CT scanner to image hundreds of cereal spikes each day, generating novel insights into plant structures. 

From the number, size and shape of individual grains to their precise position within a spike, the high-throughput CT scanning technology allows researchers to see and measure plant structures in 3D, generating detailed phenotypic data that can reveal how genetics and environment influence plant performance.

Since 2021, APPN has scanned approximately 120,000 cereal spikes, enabling Australian researchers to analyse detailed structural information that would be difficult and time-consuming to collect manually.

The data helps researchers to quantify and monitor the impact of environmental stress such as frost, and identify lines that are more resilient.  

Late spring frosts can cause significant damage when they coincide with flowering and early grain development, with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) estimating that frost damage costs Australian wheat producers $360 million per year. Understanding why some genotypes and parts of the spike are more susceptible than others is an important step towards improving frost resilience.

Since 2024, the CT team have processed around 40,000 samples per year from three cereal frost research trials at sites in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. 

“The scanner’s automated image and data analysis pipeline extracts detailed traits at the spike and individual grain level, including grain number, volume, shape, surface area and the precise 3D position of individual grains within the spike,” said specialist X-ray CT Researcher Dr Haoyu Lou.

For frost research, this spatial information is particularly valuable. Frost damage can vary across the spike, and researchers want to understand whether grains in particular positions are more likely to be damaged or successfully develop following a frost event. Comparing these responses across treatments, varieties and experimental lines can provide new insights into the genetics and physical expression of frost susceptibility and tolerance.

Importantly, these measurements can help researchers identify frost-tolerant germplasm, investigate genetic regions associated with frost tolerance and better understand the plant traits contributing to improved frost response. This will help accelerate the development of frost-tolerant wheat varieties better adapted to changing climatic conditions, supporting Australian grain production and food security.

APPN is continuing to develop its technology to include AI-enabled 3D analysis to automate the identification of grain clusters, their position within the spike and the distribution of frost damage. Method development is also underway to identify nodes along the rachis (the stem at the centre of the spike) and estimate where grain may be missing following a frost event.

APPN works with university and industry researchers across Australia to support field, glasshouse and Smarthouse research. Our biometry and technical teams can support research projects from experiment and trial design through to image analysis, data management and interpretation – helping researchers turn complex phenotyping datasets into meaningful insights.

16 September 2026