较近，来自比利时根特大学的专家利用WIWAM XY植物表型系统发表了题为Drought resistance is mediated by divergent strategies in closely related Brassicaceae的文章，发表在植物学先进期刊New Phytologist上。

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WIWAM XY是一款高通量可重复性表型机器人，用于对小型植物, 如拟南芥植物的研究。该机器人可定期对多种植物参数进行自动化灌溉和并测量多种植物生长参数。WIWAM XY代替了很多手工处理，省时省钱，精度较高。

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植物在各自花盆内生长, 预设时间间隔，机器臂提取植物, 将其带到成像和称重浇水工作站。机器臂按照程序设定移动到花盆上方，并将其提升脱离桌面。设备可配RFID读取装置以及花盆可贴上FID 标签，可作为额外花盆识别法，识别和校正桌面上因手工花盆安置造成的错误。通常旁边取景照相机从不同角度获得图像。成像站可安装一系列照相机系统。组合称重/浇水站集成在机器臂上。花盆中植物在浇水时旋转以获得较佳水分布。灌溉精度较高可达 +/- 0.1 mL。另外，灌溉可基于自动目标重量计算或固定量。在整个实验过程中，可有效控制土壤湿度水准 。集成光，温度和湿度传感器可监控温度，详细记录实验生长条件。

植物表型机器人WIWAM XY产品特点

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2、高精度灌溉(达0.1mL !).

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5、开放式数据库结构

6、可提供全定制系统、花盆数量可扩展

7、高环境适应性、耐受苛刻的调节后环境

图像分析和数据可视化

WIWAM XY有VIB开发的图像分析和数据可视化软件支持此软件包，称为 PIPPA，是网络界面和数据库，一方面用来为不同类型的WIWAM植物表型平台提供管理的工具，另一方面用于分析图像和数据 。

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IT 解决方案和储存

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SMS 邮件服务可以通知用户机器报警和错误，可尽快进行用户干涉。系统可于任一点暂停和停下，UPS (不间断电源)可防止数据丢失和确保在停电后全系统恢复。该软件也有平台管理员系统设置和维护行为通道。

Drought resistance is mediated by divergent strategies in closely related Brassicaceae

Summary

Droughts cause severe crop losses worldwide and climate change is projected to increase their prevalence in the future. Similar to the situation for many crops, the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Ath) is considered drought-sensitive, whereas, as we demonstrate, its close relatives Arabidopsis lyrata (Aly) and Eutrema salsugineum (Esa) are drought-resistant.

To understand the molecular basis for this plasticity we conducted a deep phenotypic, biochemical and transcriptomic comparison using developmentally matched plants.

We demonstrate that Aly responds most sensitively to decreasing water availability with early growth reduction, metabolic adaptations and signaling network rewiring. By contrast,Esa is in a constantly prepared mode as evidenced by high basal proline levels, ABA signaling transcripts and late growth responses. The stress-sensitive Ath responds later than Aly and earlier than Esa, although its responses tend to be more extreme. All species detect water scarcity with similar sensitivity; response differences are encoded in downstream signaling and esponse networks. Moreover, several signaling genes expressed at higher basal levels in both

Aly and Esa have been shown to increase water-use efficiency and drought resistance when overexpressed in Ath.

Our data demonstrate contrasting strategies of closely related Brassicaceae to achieve drought resistance

Plant growth conditions and drought treatment 

The plant phenotyping platform (WIWAM xy) at VIB Ghent was used for high-throughput phenotypic characterization. Pots were prepared as described (Skirycz et al.,2011b). Briefly, all pots (128 per species) were radio frequencyidentification (RFID)-tagged and the dry soil weight of individual pots was calculated. Three to four plants were sown after 4 d of stratification at 4°C in the dark. Pots were placed on WIWAM xy and covered with plastic film for 3 d to maintain humidity. On day 4 the cover was removed and the well-wateredcondition (WW) of 2.19 g water g1 soil was maintained robotically. When two complete open cotyledons were observed in allpots, one average-sized seedling per pot was kept. Daily, images of the plants were taken, each pot was weighted, positions were randomized and water was added to precisely maintain WW conditions.

Water deficit (WD) treatment started when leaf 6 (L6) was initiated on the apex (1 mm, developmental stage 1.06) as judged by manual inspection (Boyes et al., 2001). Watering for the WD group (78 pots per species) was stopped at 14 (Ath), 20 (Esa) and 22 (Aly) d after sowing (DAS). After 15 d without watering, plants

were rewatered and survival was scored 3 d later. Two independent replicates were performed in trays. Plants were grown under constant environmental conditions: 16 h day, 21°C, 55% relative humidity and 110–120 lmol m2 s 1 light intensity.