Phen-Italy
The Italian Plant Phenotyping Network. Facilities to study the interaction between the genotype, the environment, and the management
The Italian Node of EMPHASIS
Phen‑Italy, the Italian Plant Phenotyping Joint Research Unit (JRU), is coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR). It brings together universities, public research organisations, and public–private consortia to form a national network dedicated to advancing plant phenotyping research and infrastructure in Italy.
As the national reference point for EMPHASIS—the European research infrastructure for multi‑scale plant phenotyping included in the ESFRI Roadmap—Phen‑Italy contributes to the development and implementation of advanced phenotyping platforms accessible to the European scientific community. Through this role, it supports research aimed at sustainable agriculture and food security in the context of climate change.
Phen‑Italy’s mission is to strengthen collaboration among research groups working on high‑throughput plant phenotyping, with particular attention to crops of strategic importance for the agri‑food sector. It provides access to the only high‑throughput phenotyping infrastructure currently available in Italy and Southern Europe, as well as to the region’s only dedicated aerial fleet for remote sensing of agroecosystems.
Partner Involved
Collaborations
MICROBES-4-CLIMATE
Offer researchers from diverse backgrounds convenient access to a range of top-tier Research Infrastructures and their advanced services. This access will empower them to engage in interdisciplinary, curiosity-driven research focused on terrestrial biodiversity and...
AGROSERV
Integrated SERvices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition AgroServ, funded by the EU under Horizon Europe (2022-27), supports agricultural research and innovation to tackle complex challenges like feeding a growing population sustainably, combating...
Latest Pubblications
Pace et al 2026, Physiologia Plantarum, Machine Learning Approaches to Assess Soil Microbiome Dynamics and Bio-Sustainability
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Gargiulo et al 2025,Horticulture Research, Volatile organic compounds in Solanum lycopersicum leaves and their roles in plant protection
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Montanaro et al 2025, Plant Stress, Are leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and Dark Green stressor-specific fingerprints in grapevine under drought or salt stress? A reanalysis study
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Monatanaro et al 2023,Plant Phenomics, Phenotyping Key Fruit Quality Traits in Olive Using RGB Images and Back Propagation Neural Networks
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Harfouche et al 2023, Trends in Plant Science, A primer on artificial intelligence in plant digital phenomics: embarking on the data to insights journey
[link]
Pace et al 2026, Physiologia Plantarum, Machine Learning Approaches to Assess Soil Microbiome Dynamics and Bio-Sustainability
[link]
Gargiulo et al 2025,Horticulture Research, Volatile organic compounds in Solanum lycopersicum leaves and their roles in plant protection
[link]
Montanaro et al 2025, Plant Stress, Are leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and Dark Green stressor-specific fingerprints in grapevine under drought or salt stress? A reanalysis study
[link]
Monatanaro et al 2023,Plant Phenomics, Phenotyping Key Fruit Quality Traits in Olive Using RGB Images and Back Propagation Neural Networks
[link]
Harfouche et al 2023, Trends in Plant Science, A primer on artificial intelligence in plant digital phenomics: embarking on the data to insights journey
[link]
Research Activities
By systematizing national expertise and infrastructure, Phen-Italy plays a crucial role in supporting the Italian and European scientific communities in addressing the challenges of modern agriculture and climate resilience
Contact Us
Contact us to find out how Phen-Italy can support your research in the field of plant phenotyping. We are here to answer all your questions and collaborate on innovative projects that address the challenges of modern agriculture.
Plant Species
- Tomato
- Wheat
- Arabidopsis
- Soybean
Growth conditions and stresses
- drought resistance
- germplasm characterization
- nutrients deprivation
Plant organs
- Shoots
- Whole plant
- Spikes (wheat)
Scientific and technological expertise
- Imaging technologies
- Plant physiology
- Electronic sensor systems
- Agricultural biology
- Remote sensing
- Precision and personalized agriculture
- Development of new in vivo sensors
Some examples of the phenotyping studies already performed
- Investigate how the interaction with beneficial soil microorganisms (i.e. Trichoderma spp.) influences plant growth, architecture and morphology at the shoot and root level.
- Measure photosynthetic performance under control and stress conditions ( Species: Solanum lycopersicum L.).
- Quantify differences in physiological performances under drought and salt stress conditions of mutants and traditional landraces. (Species:Solanum lycopersicum L.).
- Evaluate growth, geometry profile and physiological status of mutants for epigenetic regulators during development. (Species:Solanum lycopersicum L.).
- Phenotype screening by image analysis of a mutant tomato compared with the isogenic line (Species:Solanum lycopersicum L.).
- Characterization of wheat genotypes in the Single seed descent (SSD) collection subjected to water stress, with high-yield methods (Species: Triticum durum Desf.)