In August 2024, HelEx high-throughput phenotyping work was presented at the International Sunflower Conference (ISC) held in Wuyuan, China. The ISC is one of the largest global gatherings of the sunflower research and breeding community, bringing together scientists from major producing countries to discuss advances in genetics, agronomy and crop protection.
Nicolas Langlade (INRAE) presented the phenotyping pipeline developed within HelEx, which combines field measurements, drone and ground imagery, machine learning and physiological models to capture how sunflower genotypes respond to climatic stresses. The talk highlighted the role of HelEx platforms, including Heliaphen, in generating the data needed to link genotype and phenotype at the scale required by modern breeding.
For HelEx, presenting at ISC was a chance to position its phenotyping approach on the international stage and to discuss methodological standards with colleagues who face similar challenges in other continents. These exchanges feed directly into the refinement of HelEx protocols and strengthen international comparability of results.
