INFRA-VOL

INFRA VOL, a highly specialized plant phenotyping infrastructure, is unique in Italy for its focus on the characterization of organic volatile compounds. This infrastructure serves as an important national and international attractor. As part of PHEN ITALY, INFRA VOL participates as a service provider in the European projects AGROSERV and MICROBES4CLIMATE, aiming to offer the scientific community a broad and high level portfolio of research services to improve the sustainability of food systems, safeguard human, animal, and environmental health, preserve natural resources and biodiversity, and mitigate climate change.
Within AGROSERV, INFRA VOL has activated three TNAs, in collaboration with the University of Salamanca (Spain), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (Portugal), and the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu and Kuopio (Finland).
INFRA VOL is equipped with new growth chambers featuring dedicated VOC delivery pathways for the effective administration of volatile compounds to target organisms, as well as state of the art facilities for VOC identification. These include two proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometers (PTR TOF MS), ultra fast and highly sensitive instruments enabling high throughput, real time volatilome analysis from various sources (plants, microorganisms, etc.). One of the two instruments, the VOCUS, is coupled to a GC MS. A brand new GC MS for VOC characterization is also available on site.
A wide range of non destructive instruments (infrared gas analyzers, fluorometers, CCD cameras) further complements INFRA VOL for assessing plant physiological status.