On June 5–6, the partners’ meeting of the NordForsk-funded project “Enhancing Crop Productivity Monitoring by Linking Satellite and Field Biosignatures” (UPSCALE) was attended by the researchers Dr. Rita Armonienė and Dr. Andrius Aleliūnas from the Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, Institute of Agriculture, LAMMC in Tromsø (Norway).
The second annual meeting was hosted by the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway at the NIBIO Tromsø Research Station – the northernmost agricultural research station on Earth.
The meeting was attended by project partners from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lund University, University of Helsinki, and LAMMC. Participants presented the results of the second year’s field and vegetative experiments discussed plans for the upcoming season, and data collection and analysis. They also planned scientific publications and outlined the next steps for the project.
Project partners had the possibility to visit UPSCALE experimental trials involving timothy and red clover, and to learn about other ongoing research activities. The Climate Laboratory Holt in Tromsø, jointly operated by UiT and NIBIO, was also visited. Located at 69°39ʹ N, 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, it is the world’s northernmost phytotron with experimental units. The freezing test unit, a molecular laboratory, and two dark rooms dedicated to state-of-the art image-based phenotyping equipment, including PlantEye and hyperspectral sensors, were also inspected.
The project meeting provided a valuable opportunity to explore research possibilities and foster collaboration in future scientific projects.
