Climate change demands more resilient crops, which can withstand drought and emerging diseases. The Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network (NBPPN) brings together researchers, data experts, and breeding partners to turn plant data into smarter, more resilient agriculture for the Nordic region.
Plant phenotyping is about understanding how plants actually perform, in the field and under stress. For example, which wheat varieties cope best with drought in Denmark? Which barley lines tolerate cold Nordic springs in Sweden? And how do oats perform under fluctuating light conditions in Finland? To answer questions like these, researchers measure plant growth, development, and stress responses using field trials, drones, and controlled environment facilities.
Across the Nordic and Baltic countries, there is large amounts of data generated from these experiments.
“The challenge is not collecting data anymore, but organizing it properly, sharing it, and making sure it can be reused. When data are stored in different formats or without proper documentation, they are difficult to combine and learn from”, writes the Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network (NBPPN).
Therefore, the NBPPN brings together researchers and infrastructures across the region to address this issue. Through the annual symposium, the network create a platform where scientists, breeders, and funding bodies meet, present results, and start new collaborations. The discussions range from practical field phenotyping to digital tools and breeding strategies, always with a focus on improving crops for Nordic conditions.
In addition to the symposium, the network organise hands-on workshops where participants work directly with real plant data from field trials and controlled-environment experiments. The goal is practical: how to structure data clearly, document experiments properly, and make results understandable and reusable across institutions and countries.
When data from Finland, Sweden, Denmark or the Baltic countries can be compared and combined, we gain a stronger evidence base for selecting crop varieties that perform well under different climate conditions. Breeding programmes can make more informed decisions. Researchers can avoid repeating experiments unnecessarily. Public research funding is used more efficiently.
In practical terms, this means that farmers and breeders gain access to better knowledge when selecting crop varieties suited for Nordic conditions, whether that means drought tolerance in Denmark or cold resilience in Finland.