Plant stress biology surveillance and experimental design

The course covers introduction to various imaging methods in greenhouse and field conditions. It includes both theory and hands-on training in addition to seminars and home essays. The lectures will provide background information on biological imaging, examples of practical research cases, and the basics of the handling of the image data. The practical course will contain setting up the experiment, imaging of stress treated and the control plants and exercising on the handling of the research data.

Lectures:  10 h

Practical labs of imaging and computing: 24 h

Seminars: 6 h

In addition, work on own time:

1. Writing report of the practical work including data analysis.
2. Plan your own plant phenotyping trial: seminar presentation and home essay

Planning considerations must include

* Plant species and growth stages of interest.

* Morphologies of interest

* Vegetative indices of interest

* Weather/climate, time of the day for flights  (if outside/ field experiment)

* Light conditions

* Backup plans

* Any proximal imaging for quality control

* Plan for data analysis

* How to present data for chosen audience (peer reviewed paper; plant breeder;

   fellow students)

Learning outcome

Knowledge

• has overview of currently available plant phenotyping methods
• understands the theoretical principles of the biological imaging and plant phenotyping
• recognizes the advantages and disadvantages of different plant phenotyping methods to be able to select suitable methods for own research and practical approaches

Skills

• can design experimental set-up for plant phenotyping and hyperspectral imaging
• can operate advanced imaging instruments, such as Planteye 3D scanner and hyperspectral cameras, for investigations of plant stress responses
• can utilize data handling software for the biological images and report imaging results
• have skills and experience to work collaboratively, and to apply their knowledge and skills in own research questions

General competence

• generate and analyze plant phenotyping data for answering versatile research questions related to plant stress biology
• evaluate the possibilities of different biological imaging methods in own research

Teaching methods

The course consists of 10 hours of lectures, 24 hours of practical course, 6 hours seminars, in addition to writing report, preparing a seminar presentation, and planning of an experiment related with the topic of the course.

Course dates

November 2nd-6th, 2026

Admission deadline

PhD students at UiT apply for a seat by registering for classes in StudentWeb before 1. September.

Other applicants apply for admission through SøknadsWeb. Local admission, application code 9301 – Singular courses at PhD level (apply between 20th of July and 9th August). For applicants who are granted a seat, a study right will be created, and these applicants apply for a seat by registering for classes in StudentWeb before 1. September.

Admission requirements

Who can apply as a singular course student:

• PhD student enrolled at another institution than UiT. PhD students must upload a document from their university stating that there are registered PhD students. This group of applicants does not have to prove English proficiency and are exempt from semester fee.
• Holders of a master´s degree of five years or 3+2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. These applicants must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you, see the following list: Proficiency in English must be documented – list of countries. For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document: Proficiency in english – PhD level studies

The course will be arranged with a maximum of 20, and minimum of 6 students (including masters students). If more than 20 applicants, priority will be given to PhD students at UiT and PHOTOSYNTECH partner universities.

Language

English.

Coursework requirements

To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:
Participate in all lectures	Approved – not approved
Participate in hands-on training	Approved – not approved
Seminar presentation	Approved – not approved
Attend all seminar presentations	Approved – not approved

Examination

Assignment. Grade scale: passed/ not passed.